WASHINGTON — A grand jury handed up an indictment for two men in last years’s murder of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor, the daughter of a D.C. police officer.
Robert Moses, 19, and James Mayfield, 18, opened fire across Montana Avenue toward people on Saratoga Avenue in Northeast D.C. on the afternoon of Aug. 10, 2017. The pair, who collectively fired more than 10 rounds, was targeting a rival gang, according to court documents.
Sydnor was driving through the intersection when one of the bullets struck her in the head. When she lost consciousness, she crashed the car she was driving, hitting a parked car. A 12-year-old in her front passenger seat was injured in the crash and by shattered glass from the bullet that blasted through the car window before hitting Syndor.
A third victim was shot as he stood on the corner; another bystander shattered his leg attempting to take cover from the hail of gunfire.
Moses and Mayfield fled the scene following the shooting. Police arrested Moses in October 2017; Mayfield was arrested in December 2017. Both have been in custody since their respective arrests.
At the time of the shooting, Moses was on release in a pending gun case in the Superior Court of the District of Columbia, according to prosecutors.
A D.C. grand jury indicted Moses and Mayfield on charges of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), with aggravating circumstances; assault with intent to kill while armed, and aggravated assault while armed. Moses also was charged with obstructing justice and committing offenses while on release in another criminal matter.
Both men will be arraigned on July 27, 2018. They each face a maximum of life in prison if convicted of the charges.
Sydnor was a Woodrow Wilson High School graduate and the daughter of a D.C. police sergeant, who was set to start college at Florida A&M University just days before she was shot.
