Source: United States Department of Justice News
WASHINGTON – Christopher Hairston, 23, pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, to a felony count of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, announced U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves, ATF Assistant Special Agent in Charge Michael Weddel, of the Washington Field Division, and Chief Robert J. Contee, III, of the Metropolitan Police Department. The plea was entered before the Honorable Randolph D. Moss, who scheduled sentencing for September 13, 2023.
Hairston admitted that on November 13, 2020, he arranged to buy marijuana from the victim. They met at a location in Northeast Washington, D.C. at which time Hairston stated he did not have enough money and had to get more. The victim agreed to go with Hairston to another location in Northeast. At this new location, Hairston entered the backseat of a vehicle where the victim was sitting. The two discussed a potential deal to purchase narcotics. Hairston then pulled out a handgun and demanded that the victim give him the bag of marijuana. After Hairston took the bag, he shot the victim in the torso and exited the vehicle. The victim was taken to the hospital and received surgery following the incident.
Hairston was arrested in October 2021 and has been detained ever since. He faces a statutory minimum of seven years of incarceration. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
This case is being investigated and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Solomon Eppel and Sitara Witanachchi of the Violence Reduction and Trafficking Offenses Section (VRTO) of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Valuable assistance was provided by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Martin and Kristin Sourbeer and former Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brian W. Lynch. The case is being investigated by the ATF’s Washington Field Division and the Metropolitan Police Department