D.C. police temporarily closed a bar on Barracks Row as investigators try to get to the bottom of a fight that led to a shooting involving National Guard troops.
A soldier from Georgia was wounded when police said Jerrell Jackson, 41, of D.C., pulled out a gun during a fight and opened fire. Jackson was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon, and court records show he’s been convicted on gun charges three times. The last conviction sent him to prison on a 10-year sentence.
Jackson was on supervised release at the time of the shooting late Sunday.
Café 8 was shut down for at least 96 hours on an emergency order and will likely have a hearing Wednesday.
Interim Chief of Police Jeffery Carroll said early Monday that investigators believe the dispute began in an establishment and led to a fight and the shooting. He did not specify which establishment.
The emergency closure appears to indicate it was Café 8. Its manager told News4 he reviewed video from the hookah bar and said Jackson was never inside. But he acknowledged the fight began outside the bar.
In a statement to News4, Ward 6 Councilmember Charles Allen said, “It’s the right move, and I’m grateful for MPD and ABCA moving so quickly to gather the evidence needed to support this decision. What I’m looking for next, if Cafe 8 wants to reopen, is how this business will change their operations to create a safe space for both their patrons and their neighbors.”
DC police say National Guard troops were inside a van just after 11 p.m. Sunday when they saw the beginning of a fight and tried to break it up. That’s when police say Jackson pulled a handgun and began firing, striking the soldier. Three soldiers then fired back, hitting Jackson in the abdomen.
‘Make sure they are held accountable,’ Bowser says
In response to a general question from reporters Monday about violence in the city, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser said crime is going down, but illegal guns remain an ongoing problem.
“While we have worked very hard and we are going to have a historically low crime year, there are still guns on the street and there are still people willing to use them, and so it’s going to be very, very important that we continue our focus on people who use guns in our city. Make sure they are held accountable and, where appropriate, held pending trial,” Bowser said.
National Guard shooting suspect has multiple weapons convictions
Jerrell Jackson’s criminal record shows he was arrested in 2004 for carjacking while armed. The case was dismissed. Later that year, he was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 12 months in prison.
In 2009, Jackson was arrested for carrying a pistol without a license, was found guilty and was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison.
In 2014, Jackson was arrested for assault on a police officer while armed, was found guilty and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
According to D.C. Superior Court records, in Jackson’s most recent conviction in 2015, he was found guilty of shooting at a special police officer outside an apartment complex in Northeast. The special police officer was not injured.
