D.C. police closed the case of an alleged anti-gay shooting at a Columbia Heights International House of Pancakes earlier this month.
A 31-year-old man was shot in the restaurant at 14th and Irving streets NW about 6:30 a.m. March 11.
He reportedly was sitting at a table with two cousins when they heard the suspect and two friends use an anti-gay slur. When the victim got up to pay his bill, the suspect and her friends allegedly blocked his pat.
A shot was fired in the ensuing altercation, injuring the victim.
Police announced an arrest Monday. LaShawn Carson, 27, was charged with aggravated assault while armed.
“While all crime is horrific and destructive to the fabric of our community, hate crimes are particularly insidious because they instill fear in an entire group,” Mayor Vincent Gray said. “All of our residents should have the right to walk the streets of our neighborhoods free of fear that they will be targeted because of their identities, beliefs or characteristics.”
A bullet remains lodged in the victim's liver and causes the victim pain, News4's Pat Collins reported.
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