WASHINGTON — A Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) sergeant has been charged with second-degree murder after a man who was found sleeping in a car was shot to death in August 2021.
According to a release from the United States Attorney for the District of Columbia, 41-year-old Enis Jevric has been charged with a federal civil rights violation and second-degree murder in connection to the shooting death of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore.
The charges carry a maximum sentence of life in prison.
Investigators claim while working as an MPD sergeant, Jevric used excessive force when he shot and killed Gilmore on Aug. 25, 2021.
The deadly events unfolded after someone called the police to report a man "unconscious" in a car at a traffic light on Florida Avenue and New York Avenue.
In 2021, MPD Chief Robert Contee said the officers attempted to wake Gilmore, and moments later, shots were fired. After getting shot, Gilmore sped off, hitting a tree. He later died from his injuries.
MPD released a statement a day after Jevric was indicted:
"Since the death of Mr. Gilmore, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) has supported the independent and thorough review process conducted by the United States Attorney’s Office (USAO). Today, they announced a decision to indict the involved MPD member, Sergeant Enis Jevric. In the indictment, the officer has been charged with a federal civil rights violation and second-degree murder. We are confident that the subsequent criminal proceedings will be deliberated fairly, and do recognize this is a difficult matter for everyone involved."
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.
“We have found that most officers use force only when necessary. In these investigations, we follow the evidence and the law. In the overwhelming majority of these cases, criminal charges would not be appropriate," said U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves. "But when an officer willfully disregards the safety of a citizen he is sworn to protect, he violates the trust placed in him by virtue of his badge. Today’s indictment reinforces that we will hold officers who commit civil rights violations accountable.”
A separate video obtained by WUSA9 from a woman who said she witnessed the whole thing shows another angle of what ultimately led to Gilmore's death.
Jordan White, who lives in D.C., said she was driving to a friend's house who had just lost a family member around 3 a.m. She noticed several officers around a car, so she turned around and started filming on her phone.
The video shows the car lurching forward and then stopping for a few seconds, before moving out of frame. White can be heard saying, "Oh my god!" right before WUSA9 counted 10 shots fired.