WASHINGTON, D.C. – Demetrius Green, 33, of Washington, D.C., is headed to federal prison for seven years after a jury found him guilty of brazenly firing a machinegun and peddling a cocktail of deadly drugs. Green received an 84-month sentence today, a culmination of a case built on street cameras and a swift police response.
The trouble began in the early hours of January 20, 2020, around 4:45 a.m. Residents near 917 Wahler Place, Southeast, were jolted awake by the sound of gunfire. Green, a twice-convicted felon, had stepped onto the back porch and unleashed a burst from a machinegun into the air. Metropolitan Police Department officers arrived quickly, but Green refused to cooperate when they knocked. They secured the scene and collected five spent shell casings.
Crucially, police had recently installed a pole camera in the area, targeting suspected drug trafficking and violence. The footage captured Green not only firing the weapon but returning to the same back porch on at least two more occasions that morning. Armed with this damning evidence, law enforcement obtained a search warrant and returned later that evening. Green attempted to flee out the back door as the warrant was executed, but was apprehended.
Inside the residence, a veritable drug den, authorities discovered approximately $30,000 worth of narcotics. The haul included 33 zips of crack cocaine, 288 hydromorphone pills, and 700 oxycodone pills, along with related paraphernalia. Forensic analysis confirmed the machinegun recovered from the scene matched the shell casings found on the back porch. Green was the sole occupant of the residence, and his identification cards were found just feet from the drugs and the weapon.
Federal prosecutors argued that the residence functioned as a “stash house” – a clear distribution point for controlled substances. An expert witness testified to this effect, bolstering the government’s case. Green was convicted on December 14, 2022, following a week-long jury trial of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a prohibited person and three counts of unlawful possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance.
U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, ATF Special Agent in Charge Craig B. Kailimai, and Interim Metropolitan Police Department Chief Ashan Benedict all praised the collaborative effort of the officers and agents involved in the investigation and prosecution. Assistant U.S. Attorneys David T. Henek and Gilead Light were credited with securing the conviction and sentence, taking another dangerous criminal off the streets of Washington, D.C.
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Key Facts
- Agency: ATF
- Category: Weapons|Drug Trafficking|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Press Release
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