Shannon Updike, 21, Sentenced for Killing Chidzie Njoku in Northeast

Friday, April 4, 2025

WASHINGTON – Shannon Updike, 21, of Washington, D.C., was sentenced today, to 15 years in prison for shooting Chidzie Njoku, announced U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr. and Chief Pamela Smith, of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

            Updike pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder while armed on December 19, 2024, in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia. In sentencing Updike, the court accepted the 15-year sentence that was part of the plea agreement.    

            According to the government’s evidence, Updike used a homemade purple assault rifle to shoot Chidzie Njoku twice at close range. Updike fled on foot but was stopped by MPD patrol officers after a foot chase.   

            In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Martin and Chief Smith commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case form the U.S. Attorney’s Office, including Paralegal Specialist Grazy Rivera, and Victim/Witness Advocate Christina Bloodworth.

            Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian Ganjei, who investigated and prosecuted the case.