In the winter of 2021, a simmering dispute between two former colleagues tragically erupted into violence on a street in Northeast Washington, D.C., leaving one man dead and the other facing a lifetime behind bars. The victim, a 60-year-old man named Geno Freeman of Hyattsville, Maryland, was fatally shot on the evening of Friday, February 19, 2021.
The incident unfolded in the 6000 block of Chillum Place, NE, where responding officers discovered a grim scene.
Upon their arrival at approximately 5:58 p.m. following a report of an unconscious person, police found Freeman suffering from a gunshot wound in front of an establishment. Despite the immediate response from DC Fire and Emergency Medical Services, he showed no signs of life and was pronounced dead at the scene. As officers secured the area, they encountered an armed man who was later identified as 66-year-old John Woods of Silver Spring, Maryland.
Woods, who was still in possession of a firearm, ignored multiple commands from the officers. The confrontation escalated, resulting in an officer discharging their weapon and striking Woods. He was subsequently transported to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries. An investigation quickly revealed that Woods was the individual responsible for the shooting death of Freeman. He was arrested and charged with first-degree murder while armed, assault on a police officer while armed, and other related firearm offenses.
The motive behind the fatal encounter appeared to be rooted in a bizarre and long-standing grudge. According to court documents and witness statements, Woods and Freeman were former co-workers who had a history of not getting along. Woods harbored a belief that Freeman had poisoned him by putting something in his food, which he claimed had led to serious health problems. This unsubstantiated allegation appears to have driven Woods to confront and ultimately kill his former colleague. The case against John Woods proceeded through the court system, where his mental competency to stand trial became a point of evaluation.
