A Maryland man with a prior record of domestic violence has been caught in the crosshairs of a federal indictment for unlawful firearm possession, a charge stemming from an initiative titled "Make D.C. Safe Again," which seeks to curb gun violence and prioritize firearms violations in the District of Columbia.
According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, thirty-year-old Christopher Forbes of Suitland, Maryland, was arrested earlier this month after officers responded to reports of gunfire in Southeast D.C.; during the arrest, a loaded handgun was found on Forbes, who was not legally permitted to possess a firearm due to his previous convictions, including a felony robbery and a misdemeanor involving domestic violence, according to an announcement by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin Jr., ATF's Special Agent in Charge Anthony Spotswood, and MPD Chief Pamela Smith, as detailed in a press release.
The indictment outlines three counts against Forbes: unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a person convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence, and unlawful discharge of a firearm, all of which could result in substantial penalties under the federal initiative.
Court documents reveal that on April 5, MPD officers received multiple 911 calls early in the morning reporting shots fired in the 1800 block of A Street SE. Upon their arrival, they encountered a man matching the suspect's description, later identified as Forbes. During his subsequent arrest several blocks away, a pat-down led to the discovery of a loaded .40 caliber handgun. This weapon, with its two rounds and a chambered bullet, matched shell casings located near the initial scene, reaffirming Forbes's direct involvement in the shooting incident.
Further investigation into Forbes's past revealed an intricate web of legal woes, including a felony robbery conviction the prior year in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and existing warrants for his arrest—one extraditable for failure to appear related to that case, and another out of Florida for unlawfully discharging a firearm in public, exemplifying a disregard for the law prohibiting his possession of firearms and ammunition.
