FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Jury Finds District Man Guilty of Aggravated Assault While Armed For Shooting Woman in Northwest Washington

Victim Shot Twice in Abdomen Following Argument Outside Nightclub

            WASHINGTON – Nikko Drake, 33, of Washington, D.C., has been found guilty by a jury of aggravated assault while armed for shooting a woman outside a Northwest Washington nightclub, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and Robert J. Contee III, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Drake was also found guilty of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and related firearms offenses.  The verdict was returned on June 17, 2022, following a trial in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. The Honorable Maribeth Raffinan set sentencing for Sept. 23, 2022.

            According to the government’s evidence, at 11:25 p.m. on Jan. 23, 2020, Drake got into an argument with the female victim, who was then 21, outside a nightclub in the 1900 block of 9th Street NW, in the Shaw area.  Drake punched the victim, knocking her to the ground.  After a physical struggle, Drake shot her twice in the abdomen.  The victim was taken to Howard University Hospital, where she required emergency trauma surgery.  MPD officers spotted Drake in the area in response to a look-out and apprehended him within fifteen minutes of the offense.

            Drake was arrested on Jan. 24, 2020.  He has been in custody ever since.

            In announcing the verdict, U.S. Attorney Graves and Chief Contee commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They also acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Chrisellen Kolb, Chief of the Appellate Division; Assistant U.S. Attorneys Alicia Long, Mark Hobel, and Daniel Lenerz; former Assistant U.S. Attorney Amanda Fretto Lingwood; Supervisory Paralegal Specialist R. Renee Prather; Lead Paralegal Specialist Tameka S. Garcia; Paralegal Specialists Crystal L. Waddy and Debra McPherson; Supervisory Victim/Witness Services Coordinator Katina Adams-Washington; Victim/Witness Services Coordinator La June Thames; Victim/Witness Program Specialist Karina Hernandez; Litigation Technology Supervisor Leif Hickling, and Litigation Technology Specialist Maisha Treadwell.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Paul V. Courtney and Nicole G. H. Conte, who investigated and prosecuted the matter.