Men indicted on weapons charge
Police say one shot the other after alleged drug deal
A Montgomery County grand jury on Thursday indicted two men on one count each of carrying or wearing a weapon in connection to an alleged October drug deal that led to one of the men being shot, the Montgomery County State's Attorney's Office reported.
Bernard Franklin Byrd, 22, of the 1300 block of Spring Street in Northwest Washington, D.C., was also indicted on one count of first-degree assault and one count of resisting arrest, said Emily White, a spokeswoman for the State's Attorney's Office.
The man who was shot, 35-year-old Justin T. Williams of the 4100 block of Peppertree Lane in Aspen Hill, was additionally indicted on one count of restricted possession of a firearm, she said.
No lawyer could be identified for Byrd as of Gazette press time. Stephen Mercer, Williams' attorney, could not be reached by press time Tuesday.
The indictments come one month after county police officers and Fire and Rescue Service personnel responded to a shooting in the 4100 block of Peppertree Lane, police said.
Williams said he had been walking his dog on Connecticut Avenue in the early evening when a white car stopped near him, according to charging documents for Byrd in District Court.
Williams said the people in the car asked about his dog, but then wanted to know if he had anything on him and tried to rob him, the charging documents state.
One man, later identified as Byrd, pulled out a handgun and shot Williams in the right shoulder, the documents state. Byrd later told police he met with Williams to buy marijuana, according to the documents.
The car fled down the street and Williams ran home, called police and was eventually taken to a hospital, police said.
When officers stopped the vehicle nearby, Byrd got out and ran away carrying the handgun, police said. He was arrested near the area of 12039 Georgia Ave. following a man hunt, the charging documents state. The handgun, which was stolen property, was found behind a nearby restaurant, according to the documents.
Byrd said he has been buying marijuana from Williams for four years, according to charging documents for Williams in District Court.
Williams told police he thought he was meeting with people interested in seeing his pregnant pit bull, the documents state. He said after talking to the people in the car for a few minutes, he knew they were there to buy marijuana, according to the charging documents. He noted he had the gun with him at the time of the incident.
Byrd told police he thought he saw Williams reaching for a gun during the incident, according to the charging documents.
Williams' mother told police she thinks her son stuffed the loaded gun into their couch, which is where paramedics treated Williams, after he was shot, the documents state.
Williams is a registered sex offender and not allowed to carry or own a gun, according to the documents.
Byrd and Williams are scheduled for hearings in Montgomery County Circuit Court Dec. 4.