In the winter of 2017, a violent feud between rival crews in Southeast Washington, D.C., reached its deadly climax. The conflict, which had already led to numerous shootings and at least one other homicide, would ultimately claim the life of 28-year-old Andrew McPhatter. For weeks leading up to his death, McPhatter had been a marked man, targeted in a relentless series of shootings that turned the streets of his Congress Heights neighborhood into a dangerous territory.
The violence had made him paranoid, and he had taken to carrying a gun for his own protection, rarely straying far from home.
On the morning of March 1, 2017, McPhatter was sitting in the driver's seat of his green Buick Regal at the intersection of Wheeler Road and Upsal Street, SE. It was there that his fears were realized. A gunman, later identified as Derek 'Fats' Turner, unleashed a volley of eight bullets into the car. McPhatter was struck five times in the head and body. He was rushed to a hospital in critical condition but succumbed to his injuries four days later, on March 5, 2017. At the time he was shot, authorities noted he had a. 40-caliber handgun tucked into his waistband.
The investigation that followed untangled a conspiracy that extended into the very police department tasked with solving the crime. Derek Turner, a member of the Wahler Place crew, was identified as the shooter. The weapon he used, a 10mm Glock, was linked not only to McPhatter's murder but also to the January 2017 killing of Devin Hall and several other non-fatal shootings connected to the gang feud. Turner's obsession with his crimes was revealed through his internet search history, where he looked up news articles about the shootings shortly after they occurred.
Turner did not act alone. He was aided by Ronnika M. Jennings, a civilian police clerk who used her position within the Metropolitan Police Department's Seventh District to feed him confidential information about his rivals. A third individual, Duan M. Hill, was also implicated, convicted for his role in a scheme to have an associate take criminal responsibility for the murder weapon. Following a lengthy trial, a jury found all three guilty for their parts in the violent conspiracy. Derek Turner was sentenced to 130 years in prison for the murders of McPhatter and Hall. Ronnika Jennings received a 15-year sentence for being an accessory and other charges, while Duan Hill was sentenced to 57 months for obstruction of justice.
