Washington
A Fredericksburg man who shot his neighbor in the leg last year during a dispute about gun laws was convicted Friday of a charge that carries the possibility of a life sentence.
Anthony Patrick Washington, 34, was found guilty in Fredericksburg Circuit Court of aggravated malicious wounding and using a firearm in the commission of a felony. The firearms charge carries a mandatory three-year prison term.
Washington will be sentenced May 27 by Judge Gordon Willis.
According to the evidence presented by prosecutor Elizabeth Humphries, the incident took place June 30 at the Dunning Mills Inn at 2305 Jefferson Davis Highway. Washington said he and Deedra Ann Duncan Cook got into what started out as a civil discussion about whether his decision to open carry a firearm was legal.
When he returned from an errand, according to the evidence, Washington walked over to Duncan Cook to continue the discussion. Defense witnesses said Duncan Cook became irate at this point, and spit in Washington’s face and called him a racial slur.
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There was testimony that Washington responded by calling Duncan Cook a [expletive] and a “Karen.” He then fired a shot that entered Duncan Cook’s lower leg and exited near her ankle.
Duncan Cook, who denied spitting on Washington, was still using a knee scooter in court Friday. She didn’t deny using the racial slur, but said “that gives him no right to shoot me.”
Defense attorney Christopher Reyes argued that at most Washington should have been convicted of unlawful wounding, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
He said Washington felt threatened and had a “heat of passion” moment. “Not only did she call him the most vile thing she could have called him, she spit in his face,” Reyes said.
Humphries said it was Washington who approached Duncan Cook and continued the discussion even after she told him to leave. Humphries said that words, no matter how “loathsome,” do not justify shooting someone.
Judge Willis said both Washington and Duncan Cook used offensive words and that he was not going to get into which slur was worse.
“This wouldn’t have happened if either of you had used a little restraint or civility,” Willis said.
