A Metropolitan Police Department officer pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter and a civil rights violation for the fatal shooting of a man police found asleep behind the wheel of a car in August 2021.
Sgt. Enis Jevric, 42, initially was charged with second-degree murder in the death of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore.
Officers found Gilmore asleep in a car at New York Avenue NE and Florida Avenue NE with a gun in his waistband about 3 a.m. Aug. 25, 2021, police said.
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Jervic had another officer to knock on the window of the car to wake Gilmore, at which point the car moved forward several feet, stopped, then moved forward again, the prosecution said. Police ordered him to stop, and Jervic fired 10 shots, striking Gilmore three times.
Gilmore was pronounced dead at a hospital.
"Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life — a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends," U.S. Attorney Matt Graves said in a news release.
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An attorney for Gilmore's family said they are disappointed with the plea to the lesser charge.
“He acknowledged that he did so intentionally," Brian McDaniel said. "Because he did so intentionally, it’s the family’s position that he should not be given the opportunity to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter.”
He believes Jevric could be facing about seven years in prison.
“Certainly, that's one step towards acceptance of responsibility, but it's not responsibility for the level of harm that Officer Jevric did to the family," McDaniel said. "They are still living with the loss of An’Twan.”
He said the legal process has been difficult for the Gilmore family as they still grapple with the loss.
“It causes new pain and new trauma, and so they continue to try to heal themselves, even in the face of the fact that An'Twan won't be returning to them,” McDaniel said.
A judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for July 1.
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