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Inset: Jeremy Black (Legacy.com). Background: The 1400 block of R Street Northwest in Washington, D.C. where Black was shot and killed (WUSA).
A Washington, D.C. man has been sentenced to nearly two decades in prison for his role in a tragic shooting that claimed the life of a 53-year-old pedestrian. Dearay Wilson, 30, was handed an 18-year prison term by a federal judge on Friday for the fatal shooting of Jeremy Black, who was out for an evening stroll with his wife and friends after dinner.
Wilson’s sentencing follows his February plea of guilty to second-degree murder while armed. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia, the events unfolded on the evening of June 29, 2021, when Wilson, along with three accomplices, traveled to Johnson Avenue Northwest. The group proceeded to the 1400 block of R Street Northwest, where they indiscriminately opened fire on a group of individuals gathered outside an apartment building.
The hail of gunfire resulted in 45 shots being fired. Black, who was walking nearby with his wife and a friend after dining at a local restaurant, was tragically caught in the crossfire. A bullet struck him in the left torso as he crossed the street, leading to his untimely death at the scene.
In the aftermath of the shooting, local residents were left shaken. Janice Holland, a neighbor, recounted her experience to CBS affiliate WUSA. “I ran out to see what was going on and I saw a man laying on the ground, his wife in the background calling out his name, telling him ‘I love you,’” she recalled, her voice filled with emotion.
“I ran out to see what was going on and I saw a man laying on the ground, his wife in the background calling out his name, telling him ‘I love you,’” she said, fighting back tears.
Another neighbor told local NBC affiliate WRC that he was on the couch on his laptop at the time of the shooting.
“My window shattered and I kind of got covered in glass, and a bit of bullet shrapnel landed next to me,” he said.
The suspects hopped back in their car, which was stolen, and drove away. Cops eventually arrested Wilson. It’s unclear what happened to the other three men and prosecutors did not divulge a motive.
“This sentencing sends a clear and necessary message: violent crime will not go unanswered,” said U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. “Dearay Wilson and other shooters indiscriminately fired over 45 rounds into a busy public street, killing Jeremy Black — an innocent man walking with his wife and friends after dinner. Our thoughts remain with his loved ones, and this office remains committed to stopping outrageous killing on the streets of the District.”
Black was a father of two who were ages 17 and 15 at the time of the shooting, according to his obituary.
“After earning an undergraduate degree from Washington University in St. Louis, he served as a volunteer for the Peace Corps in the Comoros Islands, leading to a lifelong passion of promoting a deeper understanding between people across and within borders,” the obituary said.
He went on to work at the Ford Foundation and in the Peace Corps’ Inspector General’s Office.