A man has been convicted for a daylight shooting in Northwest DC, according to a press release by the U.S. Attorney's office. The jury found Cornelius Ruffin, 41, guilty on a multitude of gun-related charges including assault with significant bodily injury while armed. Ruffin's judgment day came on Thursday, following a trial that cast a stark light on the violence that erupted on an April afternoon in 2021.
Ruffin's barrage of guilt was decided by a jury that included assault with a dangerous weapon and unlawful possession of a firearm, among other charges. He fired at the victim four times, resulting in a gunshot wound to the victim's left leg as per the evidence presented by the government. After firing, Ruffin, on that fateful April day at around 12:30 p.m., handed the gun to a woman bystander before hastily pedaling away from Q Street and Florida Avenue, NW, on a conspicuous red Capital Bikeshare bicycle.
Eyewitnesses, armed with descriptions and photographs, helped the Metropolitan Police Department build a case against Ruffin. Found guilty, the schedule now awaits Ruffin's sentencing for January 10, 2025, where he faces no less than a five-year mandatory minimum prison sentence for firearm possession during the crime, as announced by U.S. Attorney Matthew M. Graves and MPD Chief Pamela A. Smith.
The woman who was handed the firearm by Ruffin was stopped by police, and found with the gun minutes after the crime, fitting the descriptions given. Ruffin himself did not elude the law for long; he was caught the day following the shooting, resulting in a swift response by law enforcement.
