A man is behind bars after a shooting at the Shady Grove Metro station that narrowly missed several innocent bystanders, D.C. police said.
Court documents state that the mezzanine area at Shady Grove station was crowded at around 11:15 p.m. on May 31, when one man began pistol-whipping another man, and the gun discharged.
Eli Q. Brown, 35, is charged with attempted first-degree murder.
The bullet ricocheted off the brown floor tiles–now repaired–and traveled through the mezzanine. It left a hole in the drywall on the underside of a set of stairs yards away.
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Images show police serving a warrant at Brown’s Rockville residence the next day.
Court documents reveal that detectives learned Brown’s teenage daughter knew the victim, and that Brown was looking for him because of a disagreement.
Authorities said multiple cameras at the station captured parts of the crime. They allegedly show Brown and two teenagers (one male, one female) parking in front of the station entrance, then walking down to the mezzanine level.
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Brown, wearing a purple latex glove on his right hand, tucked himself in a corner while the female teenager appeared to be watching for someone to exit the fare gates, authorities said.
She appeared to point out the victim when he walked out. The victim was with a group, and there was a heated verbal exchange.
Then, police said Brown pulled out a black semi-automatic handgun from his sweatshirt, pointed it in the face of a woman in the group and appeared to order her to turn around.
Brown allegedly hit the male victim in the head with the gun, which discharged.
Cameras allegedly show the suspect and the teenagers fleeing in a dark-colored Nissan sedan.
A photo taken by a witness captured Metro police preparing to tow a dark blue Nissan sedan from the parking lot of Brown’s residence the day the warrant was served.
The incident is part of an uptick in shootings at Metro stations that leaves many riders concerned for their safety.
The man who was pistol-whipped refused treatment for his injuries and was described as being uncooperative with detectives.
