Darius Drew

Introduction

Darius Drew, 19, of Washington, D.C., fired more than twenty rounds of ammunition into a Northwest Washington neighborhood on May 11, 2026 — first at a parked car in an alley, then toward a house — and one of the rounds struck a young boy playing basketball at a nearby recreation center, injuring his leg . For that shooting, Drew was sentenced on November 13, 2026, to probation: Superior Court Judge Jennifer Di Toro imposed a 24-month prison term but suspended its execution and placed him on 18 months of supervised probation under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, over the government’s objection .

Background Information

Drew pleaded guilty on August 10, 2026, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia to one count of aggravated assault and one count of carrying a pistol without a license, resolving the charges from the May 2026 shooting . The government’s evidence, as summarized at sentencing, centered on ShotSpotter gunfire detections and surveillance video from two blocks of Northwest Washington . The case number is 2026 CF3 007856 .

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Convicted and sentenced to probation over the government’s objection. The plea is a conviction; the suspended prison term is the court’s disposition.

On May 11, 2026, in the 700 block of Taylor Street, Northwest, Drew was spotted riding a Lime bike into an alley. A short time later, ShotSpotter alerted to the sound of ten gunshots . The defendant is captured on surveillance video firing a gun at a car parked in an alley; seconds later, in the 4100 block of 9th Street Northwest, he again fired a gun toward a house near the alley and struck a boy playing basketball at a nearby recreation center, who sustained injuries to his leg . In total, Drew fired over 20 rounds of ammunition into the community from two different locations .

A search warrant later executed at Drew’s home resulted in the recovery of two firearms, ammunition, and large amounts of suspected narcotics and marijuana . He was arrested on May 22, 2026, and had been in custody until the day of his sentencing, when he was released over the government’s objection .

The government had asked the court to sentence Drew to five years in prison — the top of his sentencing guidelines range — citing his indiscriminate conduct in firing more than twenty rounds from two different locations into a community . Judge Di Toro instead imposed 24 months, suspended the execution of that sentence, and placed Drew on 18 months of supervised probation under the Youth Rehabilitation Act, over the government’s objection .

Public Reaction and Consequences

The sentencing put the court and the prosecution publicly at odds: the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. had sought five years — a term it described as the top of Drew’s guidelines — and walked out of the courtroom with a probation sentence and a release it had formally opposed . U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro and Interim Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department announced the outcome, commending the MPD investigators and thanking Assistant United States Attorney Natalie Anderson, who prosecuted the case .

Current Status

Drew is a convicted felon by plea — aggravated assault and carrying a pistol without a license — serving 18 months of supervised probation after the court suspended a 24-month prison term . His release from custody on sentencing day was itself over the government’s objection, and the probation term now governs his liberty instead of the Bureau of Prisons custody that ended . The sentencing release records no pending charges beyond the resolved case .

Impact on Their Career/Life

At nineteen, Drew’s criminal record now includes an aggravated-assault conviction for a shooting that wounded a child at play, resolved with a suspended sentence rather than the five-year term prosecutors requested . The recovery of two more firearms, ammunition and suspected narcotics from his home at arrest — facts the court had before it at sentencing — alongside the probation disposition, makes his case a flashpoint in the argument over youth-offender sentencing in the District’s courts .

Sources

• “Teen Gets Probation for Shooting a Juvenile Playing Basketball at a Recreation Center” — U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Columbia / justice.gov, November 2026: source