WASHINGTON — Court documents released Thursday are giving more insight into the man taken into custody for shooting three officers serving a warrant for cruelty to animals at his Southeast D.C. home. Neighbors in the area had been concerned about Julius James and his dogs for nearly a year before the shooting happened. One incident dates back to April 2023, the documents show.
According to an arrest affidavit for James, the Washington Humane Society received a call from a concerned neighbor on Jan. 5. The person on the phone told authorities that people in the neighborhood had been complaining about the smell coming from the home.
The neighbor also told responding animal control officers they were worried James was breeding dogs, that they were living in unsanitary conditions, and that James would frequently let his dogs out in the neighborhood without a leash.
An animal control officer went to the house on Jan. 5, but did not speak to James. The documents say the officer noted a "strong odor of dog feces and urine at the front door, and could hear a lot of dogs barking from within."
He posted a notice on the home's door regarding failure to provide "proper air, light, space."
A couple of days later, the tipster contacted animal control officers again saying James had 20 dogs in the home, and sent Nest video of an earlier incident involving James.
The video, dated April 15, 2023, shows an incident in the neighborhood. In the video, two of James' dogs approach a child and an adult in what was described in the documents as "an excited and friendly manner" on the sidewalk. The adult appears concerned for the child's safety and picks the child up, the documents say. James then enters the picture, approaches one of the dogs, grabs it and pulls it away from the child and adult. The video then shows James punch the dog in the face six times, causing the dog to yelp each time that it gets hit. The dogs were then chased back onto James' property, according to court documents.
The animal control officer showed the video to several colleagues who had previous contact with James, who all identified him as the man seen in the Nest video.
Following the 2023 incident, animal control officers made James aware of the investigation and gave James until May 31, 2023, to get rid of the dogs or vacate. He did neither.
On Wednesday, MPD officers attempted to serve a warrent to James for animal cruelty. When officers approached his home, police say he fired shots through the door, striking three officers. A fourth officer was also hurt, but not by gunfire.
He then barricaded himself in his home for 13 hours, periodically firing shots from the home, before surrendering to police Wednesday night.
According to the Humane Rescue Alliance, 31 dogs were removed from the home, ranging in age from 2 months old to adult dogs. Eleven of the dogs were puppies and 20 were adult dogs. They appear to be American bullies or some mix thereof. Dogs were found on the first and second floor, as well as in the basement. Some dogs were found in cages, while others were loose. Currently, all the rescued dogs are being housed in a secure location, recovering from the trauma.
All the officers were released from the hospital by Thursday morning, in seemngly good spirits.
James faces a charge of animal cruelty, but more charges may be forthcoming.
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