Derrick Babb | Homicide Watch DC

“I go to sleep every night thinking about what happened,” Babb says at Sentencing for Murder of J'Ron Brown

Penny Ray — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 22:36:23 -0500

Derrick Babb was sentenced today to five years in prison on a charge of assault with a dangerous weapon for his participation in the June shooting death of 24-year-old J'Ron Brown.

At sentencing, Assistant U.S. Attorney Reagan Taylor told the court that prosecutors could not be certain that it was Babb who fatally shot Brown, and that the lesser crime of assault was more appropriate.

Of the gunshots related to Brown's death, the first seven shots were not fired by Babb, Taylor explained.

"It's true; we cannot say which bullet killed Mr. Brown," Taylor said.

According to the government's proffer of facts in the case, on the morning of June 20, 2012, Babb and others were inside an apartment in the 1700 block of 17th street Southeast when they heard multiple gunshots in front of the building. Babb ran outside to see what was happening and encountered a person in a wheelchair seated in front of the building's entrance. The man in the wheelchair handed Babb a .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun and directed him to another person who was outside.

Babb took the gun and ran across the street to the corner of his Ford Explorer truck. From that vantage point, Babb saw a man seated and slumped against a Chevy Malibu which was parked on the opposite side of the street.

Babb crouched near the corner of his truck, extended his arm toward the man, and fired the gun in his direction. After the first shot, Babb attempted to fire a second time, but the gun jammed, according to documents in the case.

Brown died at the hospital from multiple gunshot wounds. Eight .40 caliber casings were recovered from the vicinity of the incident. And Shot Spotter indicated that seven shots were fired in rapid succession at approximately 1:52 a.m. About 50 seconds later, a single shot was fired.

"This is one of the most unusual cases that I have ever seen," Judge Thomas Motley said Friday. "The fact of the situation is, we don't know which shot killed him. And we'll never know the answer to that question."

Babb's defense attorney, Eugene Ohm, said that Babb did not find out until later that Brown had been shot. The men were close friends, Ohm said.

"I'm sorry and I hope everybody accepts my apology," Babb said while weeping in court Friday. "I go to sleep every night thinking about what happened."

Babb was arrested the same day Brown was killed, but only after barricading himself in an apartment and engaging in an eight hour long standoff with police. In September, three months after the shooting, he pled guilty to assault with a dangerous weapon while armed.

During pre-sentence allocution, Ohm said that Babb came forward with information about the case before anyone else. Ohm also stated that he had urged Babb to take the case to trial, but Babb refused.

"Under the circumstances, what you did afterwards is commendable," Judge Motley said to Babb.

At sentencing, Taylor said that the plea agreement for assault with a dangerous weapon was reached because prosecutors could not prove that it was Babb who fatally shot Brown.

Sentencing documents are below.

Derrick Babb Sentencing Document (PDF)Derrick Babb Sentencing Document (Text)

Correction:This story originally said the government could not prove Babb was guilty of murder. It has been updated to say prosecutors couldn't be certain Babb fired the shot that killed Brown. Further, prosecutors rejected the argument that Babb might have acted in self-defense.

The government's sentencing memorandum has been added to the documents in this post.

Derrick Babb Held on Second-Degree Murder Charge

Laura Amico — Thu, 21 Jun 2012 17:10:44 -0400

The Southeast DC man arrested after a nearly eight-hour-long standoff with police Wednesday has said he did fire a gun at J'Ron Lamar Brown, once, at the urging of a neighbor.

Brown, 24, was fatally shot at about 2 a.m. Wednesday.

Derrick Babb was arrested on suspicion of second-degree murder while armed in connection with the case later that day. He was ordered held pending a preliminary hearing on the charge today.

According to charging documents in the case, Brown may have armed himself before being killed. One witness told police that just before 2 a.m. Brown came home with a bloody lip and was upset about an altercation. The witness said Brown said he was going to "handle his business," then he put on latex gloves, armed himself with a sawed-off pump style shotgun, and drove away on a red scooter.

When Brown arrived at the 17th Street Southeast apartment complex where he was ultimately killed, he approached a group of people and asked, "Who wants some of this work?" and then fired his gun into the hallway.

Police have evidence of eight gunshots, seven of them in rapid succesion and one less than a minute later.

Babb, in an interview with police, said he did shoot Brown, once, after he heard gunshots. According to charging documents, Babb said he was inside when he heard gunshots early Wednesday morning. When he looked out to investigate he saw a wheelchair-bound person holding a gun. Babb said he went outside to wheel that person inside, but that instead, at that person's suggestion, he took the gun and fired at Brown.

The wheelchair-bound person told police that they didn't have a gun, but that they were too intoxicated to remember any details of the incident.

A preliminary hearing in the case is scheduled for July 13 with Judge Thomas Motley.

Man Barricaded in SE DC Murder Case ID'ed as Derrick Babb

Laura Amico — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 20:05:40 -0400

A man arrested on suspicion of murder after barricading himself inside a Southeast DC apartment building was identified tonight by MPD as 23-year-old Derrick Babb.

Just before 2 a.m. Wednesday, J’Ron Lamar Brown was found shot in 1700 block of 17th Street Southeast. Brown was taken to a hospital where he died.

MPD said that after the shooting, a suspect, believed to be Babb, barricaded himself inside an apartment in the same block, launching an almost eight hour long standoff with police and SWAT team negotiators.

Babb is suspected of second-degree murder while armed in connection with Brown's death.

A press release from MPD is below.

June 20, 2012

Arrest Made in Homicide in the 1700 Block of 17th Street, SE

(Washington, DC)-Detectives from the Metropolitan Police Department’s Homicide Branch have announced an arrest has been made in the fatal shooting which occurred in the 1700 block of 17th Street, SE.

On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, at approximately 1:55 am, members of the Seventh District responded to the 1700 block of 17th Street, SE for the report of a shooting. Upon arrival, they located an adult male suffering from gunshot wounds. The initial investigation determined that the suspect barricaded himself inside of a location in the 1700 block of 17th Street, SE. Negotiators with the Metropolitan Police Department’s Emergency Response Team were able to facilitate the surrendering of the suspect without further incident. DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services personnel transported the victim to a local hospital where he subsequently succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The decedent is identified as 24-year-old J’Ron Lamar Brown of Southeast, DC.

On Wednesday, June 20, 2012, 23-year-old Derrick Babb of Southeast, DC was arrested and charged with Murder Two while Armed by members of the Homicide Branch for the shooting death of J’Ron Lamar Brown.