A 17-year-old who was chased through a moving Metro Green Line train last month may have recorded Snapchat video of the suspect, who also tried to rob him, according to court documents.
Keith Nathaniel Williams, 23, of D.C., was charged with first degree murder while armed in the May 28 shooting of 17-year-old Brendan Ofori, of Fort Washington, Maryland. The shooting happened just before noon, on a train moving between L’Enfant Plaza and the Waterfront Metro station — the operator of the train learned of the shooting when it arrived at the Navy Yard station.
According to witnesses, Williams chased Ofori between adjoining subway cars while the train was in motion. In the arrest warrant, a detective said one witness described seeing Williams point a gray revolver at Ofori, demand his property “and uttered words to the effect of, ‘Go ahead and give me everything.'”
After Ofori said “Come on, man,” he was shot four times, including twice in the head, according to the autopsy.
Another witness said she believed Williams shot Ofori because the teen was attempting to take video of Williams, who told Ofori “Delete that s— off of Snapchat.”
Ofori’s iPhone was found near him in the aisle, between his body and the rear emergency door of WMATA subway car 3119, an older model train car, not equipped with video equipment. The charging document does not reflect whether Ofori’s phone contained video of Williams.
Surveillance video at the Waterfront Station showed Williams get off the train and run up the escalator. Minutes later, video in a nearby grocery store showed Williams talking on his phone.
A fourth witness, who saw photos of the suspect released by D.C. police, described working with Williams at a local restaurant and said Williams was recently fired for threatening to shoot a female employee.
According to the charging document, that witness “reported that Keith Williams would exhibit social problems which included anger management issues.”
The detective said since Aug. 22, Ofori, the shooting victim, “has been arrested on four occasions for possession of a handgun in Maryland, however there is no indication that the decedent was armed at the time of the murder.”
In his initial court appearance in D.C. Superior Court, Saturday, Williams was ordered held without bond until a preliminary hearing on June 23.
