A man who worked as a violence interrupter for D.C.’s Office of the Attorney General was arrested and charged for allegedly committing a murder in 2017.
D.C. Police arrested Cotey Wynn, 39, of Southeast D.C. Friday for the murder of 53-year-old Eric Linnair Wright.
Police found Wright suffering from a gunshot wound on Feb 17, 2017, on 12th Street N.E., near I Street. He died at a local hospital soon after arriving.
Wynn faces second-degree murder charges.
In a news release, police noted Wynn’s arrest history, which includes felony murder, first-degree murder, distribution of a controlled substance, and possession with intent to distribute crack cocaine. He was under the supervision of the city’s pretrial services agency at the time of his arrest.
According to a blog post by the attorney general’s office, Wynn worked for Cure the Streets, a public safety pilot program to reduce gun violence in the District. He supervised a team of six “violence interrupters” at their Ward 5 site.
The story said Wynn, who spent time in prison starting in 2004, was “a pillar of the community.”
In a statement, the attorney general’s office said that they are aware of Wynn’s arrest but added that the incident happened before he started working with Cure the Streets. The program will continue without Wynn, a spokesperson from the attorney general’s office said.
“This case will now proceed through our criminal justice system where Mr. Wynn is presumed innocent,” the statement sent by the communication’s office said. “We are confident that justice will be served once this process is complete. Our hearts go out to the family of Mr. Wright, the victim in this case, and to the affected members of the community.”
Below is a map of the incident:
