A D.C. police sergeant pleaded guilty Friday to violating the civil rights of a man found sleeping in his car in Northeast in 2021, according to the Department of Justice.
Enis Jevric, 42, pleaded guilty in federal court in the shooting death of 27-year-old An’Twan Gilmore by using excessive force. Jevric also pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter.
A grand jury had previously handed up charges of second-degree murder as well as a federal civil rights violation.
“Police officers are sworn to uphold the law and ensure the safety of the community, and we are grateful for the overwhelming majority of Metropolitan Police Department officers who do their difficult and dangerous jobs honorably,” U.S. Attorney Matthew Graves said in a news release.
“But Officer Jevric violated the Constitution and abused his position by recklessly using deadly force where none was necessary, resulting in the tragic and unjustified loss of Mr. Gilmore’s life — a tragedy that has permanently changed the lives of Mr. Gilmore’s family and friends. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is committed to protecting the civil rights of everyone within the District and to holding accountable all who violate those rights.”
On Aug. 25, 2021, shortly before 3 a.m., a group of D.C. police officers responded to a call about a car stopped at the intersection of New York Avenue and Florida Avenue NE with an armed man inside.
As WTOP previously reported, body camera video showed they found Gilmore sleeping in the driver’s seat with a gun in his waistband.
According to the DOJ, Jevric approached the car and directed another officer to knock on its windows to wake Gilmore up. When Gilmore woke up, the car moved forward, stopped, then moved forward again.
As it did so, the DOJ said, Jevric shot at the car four times. The car then rolled down New York Avenue and Jevric fired at it six more times.
Gilmore was struck three times and later died.
No other officer fired at Gilmore, the DOJ said. At the time, former D.C. Police Chief Robert Contee said the incident went against department policies.
Jevric’s sentencing hearing is scheduled for July 1. He faces 11 years behind bars.
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