Metropolitan Police Department (DC Police / MPD)

DC Police Employee Accused of Passing Information to Murder Suspect

A civilian employee of the D.C. police department has been jailed and accused of passing sensitive information to a gang member charged with murder.

According to court documents, a grand jury indicted Ronnika Jennings on conspiracy and obstruction of justice charges on Friday.

Jennings is accused of passing the information to Derek "Fats" Turner, Marshay "Shay" Hazelwood and Duan Hill, court documents say.

According to the 56-page indictment, Turner and Hill were members of a street gang connected to Wahler Place.

They were in a "feud with a street gang associated with Trenton Park" the court documents said.

Turner allegedly killed Andrew McPhatter on the 3500 Block of Wheeler Road SE March 1, 2017.

Police arrested him in September

Jennings gave Turner information that she had access to through her job, according to the indictment.

"In her role as a station clerk, she had access through a password-restricted account to confidential criminal intelligence" over 6 months, the indictment says.

Police placed Jennings on leave last fall.

Investigators based their case on recorded phone conversations, social media postings and text messages between Turner's girlfriend and Jennings.

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