Jurors Deliberate as Furr Acquitted on One of Nine Charges
Off-duty MPD officer accused in 2011 shooting still faces several assault-related charges
Jurors in the trial of Kenneth Furr, the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer accused while off-duty of shooting at a car containing five people, including two transgender women, in the city’s Sursum Corda neighborhood, continued to deliberate Thursday as they reviewed evidence presented in court during the preceding days.
Furr was acquitted on a charge of attempted sexual solicitation Wednesday, Oct. 24, as both the government and Furr’s defense lawyers completed closing arguments in D.C Superior Court.
Furr, who faces eight other charges, including assault with intent to kill and several counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, opted not to testify as part of his defense. Furr’s lawyers argued that the charge of attempted sexual solicitation be dropped, a request that Judge Russell Canan granted.
The government has called several witnesses, including the victims of the shooting and MPD officers who responded to the scene of the August 2011 incident. But Furr’s lawyers, particularly David Knight, fiercely questioned the victims’ credibility, using their criminal records against them and pointing out discrepancies between their grand jury testimony, what was told to police following the incident, and their testimony at trial.
Furr had previously claimed he was trying to defend himself because he felt threatened as a result of an altercation he had with three of the victims in the early morning hours of Aug. 26, 2011. The victims claim Furr tried to solicit one of the transgender women and pulled out his gun during that altercation. Afterward, the victims say they tailed Furr’s car and followed him from D.C.’s Chinatown neighborhood to Sursum Corda, where Furr began shooting at the victims’ car at the same time it collided with his own vehicle.
According to police reports and testimony from the pre-trial hearing, Furr took a Breathalyzer test hours after being arrested, which registered .15, more than twice the legal limit for driving.
The lawyers for the government, Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lara Worm and Natalia Burnett, made a motion Oct. 23 to preclude defense counsel from making improper arguments during their closing arguments, which were completed late Wednesday, Oct. 24.
Furr remains held without bond as he awaits the jury’s decision.
Support Metro Weekly’s Journalism
These are challenging times for news organizations. And yet it’s crucial we stay active and provide vital resources and information to both our local readers and the world. So won’t you please take a moment and consider supporting Metro Weekly with a membership? For as little as $5 a month, you can help ensure Metro Weekly magazine and MetroWeekly.com remain free, viable resources as we provide the best, most diverse, culturally-resonant LGBTQ coverage in both the D.C. region and around the world. Memberships come with exclusive perks and discounts, your own personal digital delivery of each week’s magazine (and an archive), access to our Member's Lounge when it launches this fall, and exclusive members-only items like Metro Weekly Membership Mugs and Tote Bags! Check out all our membership levels here and please join us today!
