[Archived] City Resident Sentenced for Shooting on East Howell Avenue

For Immediate Release: February 27, 2018

On February 22, 2018, David Palmer, an 18-year-old Alexandria resident, was sentenced to serve 23 years of active incarceration upon his convictions for three counts of Malicious Wounding and three counts of Use of a Firearm in the Commission of Malicious Wounding.

Mr. Palmer was a juvenile at the time of the offenses. However, given the gravity of the criminal conduct at issue, he was indicted and sentenced as an adult pursuant to relevant portions of the Code of Virginia.

The charges were related to a shooting that took place in the Del Ray neighborhood of the City on July 27, 2017, during daylight hours. The evidence established that the defendant positioned himself in front of a residence on East Howell Avenue, awaiting the return of a resident with whom he had a disagreement. The resident soon returned home in a vehicle that also contained two other people. The defendant walked toward the vehicle and opened fire with a handgun, firing approximately 15 rounds into the vehicle as it drove on East Howell Avenue. All three occupants of the vehicle were struck by at least one round. The driver of the vehicle was shot in the face and the two passengers were shot in the arm and back, respectively. The vehicle crashed into a parked car as the defendant continued to fire at the victims. All three were transported to the hospital for treatment of their gunshot wounds. The defendant fled the scene and made good his escape, but was later identified by police detectives and arrested.

The defendant was sentenced to a total of 73 years of incarceration in the Virginia Department of Corrections, with all but 23 years of that sentence suspended. Upon his release, the defendant will be on supervised probation for a period of 10 years and must remain of uniform good behavior for 20 years.

Commonwealth's Attorney Bryan Porter said: "This case, in which a violent felon brazenly placed lives at risk during broad daylight, caused a quiet neighborhood to be shaken by sudden violence. Compounding the fear was the timing of these crimes, coming just a month after the unspeakable horror of the Simpson Field shooting that occurred just blocks away. I am thankful that the gun play in this case did not result in more serious injuries or death."

“I hope that the significant sentence imposed in this case will bring a modicum of relief both to the victims and to the community. It will be a long time indeed before the defendant will be able to live freely in society. The outcome of this case illustrates an important point: my office, the Alexandria Police Department, and the community will not tolerate random violence in the City.”

"I wish to highly commend the outstanding police work that brought this violent felon to justice. The Alexandria Police Department's Criminal Investigations Section was instrumental in making this case. The detectives' painstaking investigation allowed them to present my office with a very strong case, ultimately resulting in a guilty plea to very serious charges.”

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Joseph Martin and Senior Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorney Jessica Best Smith diligently prosecuted the matter on the behalf of the Commonwealth. The case was investigated by Detectives Matthew Kramarik and William Oakley of the Alexandria Police Department.

The defendant was remanded to the custody of the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center where he awaits transfer to Alexandria Adult Detention Center and thence the Department of Corrections.