WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department sergeant pleaded guilty in federal court Friday to violating the constitutional rights of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore, who was found sleeping or unconscious in a car before he was shot to death by police in August 2021.
According to the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, 42-year-old Enis Jevric also pleaded guilty to a charge of involuntary manslaughter. He will be sentenced in July.
Court documents show Jevric used "unconstitutionally excessive and unreasonable force" when he shot Gilmore.
The deadly events unfolded around 3 a.m. on August 25, 2021, after someone called the police to report a man "unconscious" in a car at a traffic light on Florida Avenue and New York Avenue. Jevric and other members of MPD arrived at the scene and found Gilmore either asleep or unconscious in the driver's seat of a car stopped at the intersection.
Jevric approached the vehicle and directed another officer to knock on its window. When Gilmore woke up, the car moved forward several feet, stopped briefly and then began to move forward again. As it was moving, Jevric shot at the car four times. The car then continued moving forward and Jevric shot six more times.
Three of the 10 gunshots fired by Jevric hit Gilmore. He died a short time later from his wounds.
No other officer opened fire on Gilmore.
Body-worn camera footage was released in two parts following the shooting.
The footage captured the moment the officer noticed Gilmore was waking up.
"Oh he's waking up, he's waking up," the officer who fired his gun can be heard saying. "Watch the hands! Where's the gun at? Should we knock?"
Close to seven minutes in, you hear multiple officers shout "Don't move" and "Watch the hands" just before 10 shots are heard.
“Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police Department officers who do their difficult and dangerous jobs honorably,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. “But Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life—a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone within the District and to holding accountable all who violate those rights.”
As part of Jevric's guilty plea, he had to admit that his conduct constituted unconstitutional and unreasonable force, and that he acted willfully and in reckless disregard of Gilmore's Fourth Amendment right to be free from excessive force by police. He also admitted that his behavior created an extreme risk of death for Gilmore and was a gross deviation from a reasonable standard of care.
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