District Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Prison for Firing 14 Rounds at MPD Officer

Wednesday, May 22, 2024

WASHINGTON – Saeve Edward Evans, 38, of Washington D.C., was sentenced today to 10 years in prison for firing 14 rounds at a Metropolitan Police Department officer. The officer was not injured. The shooting, in the early morning of August 1, 2023, occurred at 1711 Benning Road, a three-story apartment building in Northeast Washington D.C.

            The sentence was announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Chief Pamela A. Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD). In addition to the 10-year prison term, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton ordered Evans to serve five years of supervised release.

            Evans pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court on January 29, 2024, to assault on a police officer while armed, and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term of over one year.

            According to court documents, on Tuesday, August 1, 2023, Evans was walking a dog at about 5:25 a.m. around the interior courtyard of the apartment building at 1711 Benning Road, Northeast. An unknown individual walked in front of the building and, unprovoked, Evans pulled out a gun, pointed the gun towards the sky, and fired three times in the air. The unknown individual ran away.

           Three minutes later, at 5:28 a.m., an MPD officer arrived at the scene to investigate the gunfire. The officer, who was wearing a full police uniform and driving a marked MPD cruiser, stood on Gales Place, Northeast, and spotted Evans within the courtyard. Evans yelled at the officer to “come and get it” and then aimed at the officer, fired the gun three times, then moved towards the apartment entrance. Moving up a ramp, Evans pointed his gun at the officer again and fired nine more rounds. The officer returned fire before taking cover behind his police cruiser. Inside the building, Evans climbed the stairs to the third-floor landing and fired two more shots at the officer through large windows. In total, Evans fired 14 rounds at the officer.          

              Additional MPD officers from the Fifth District responded to assist and entered the building on Benning Road. Officers located Evans on the third-floor landing of the apartment building. Before officers placed Evans under arrest, Evans said, “Ain’t no gun, I took it off me.” Officers recovered the firearm on the third-floor landing. DNA evidence further linked the firearm -- a black Springfield XD 9x19 pistol with an empty 16 round magazine -- to Evans. DNA evidence linked Evans to the gun, which was stolen on March 9, 2023, from the state of Texas.

            This case was investigated by the Metropolitan Police Department.

            The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Justin Song and former Assistant U.S. Attorney Colin Cloherty.