On a Sunday morning in Washington, D.C., the life of 34-year-old Gary Swinson, a male resident of Southeast, was tragically cut short. On July 12, 2020, at approximately 10:04 a.m., officers from the Seventh District were flagged down in the 3300 block of 15th Street, Southeast, following reports of a shooting. Upon their arrival, they discovered Swinson suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.
Emergency services promptly transported him to a local hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into Swinson's death continued for several months. The Metropolitan Police Department offered a reward of up to $25,000 for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case. Their efforts culminated on Wednesday, October 14, 2020, with the arrest of 34-year-old Rodney Pickett, also a resident of Southeast, D.C. Pickett was taken into custody under a D.C. Superior Court arrest warrant and was subsequently charged with second-degree murder while armed in connection with Swinson's killing.
In a later development, Rodney Pickett accepted a plea deal from prosecutors. He pleaded guilty to the lesser charge of voluntary manslaughter while armed. According to the terms of the agreement, Pickett was sentenced to eight years in prison, which will be followed by five years of supervised release. As part of his plea, he is also required to register as a gun offender. The case, which began with a violent encounter on a summer morning, concluded with this legal resolution, bringing a measure of closure to the tragic death of Gary Swinson.
