Richter accepts guilty plea in Leesburg shooting | News

A judge of the County Circuit Court in Loudoun accepted a declaration of consent between the Commonwealth law firm and a man from the HERIDON region on Thursday, which was arrested in connection with a shootout in Leesburg in May.

The 22 -year -old Zeon Garner owed three cases of malicious wounds and a ruthless handling of a firearm.

According to the report, the police officers of Leesburg reacted to an apartment complex of Edwards Ferry Road for a reported shootout shortly after 7.45 p.m., May 30, 2024. They found two adults and a small suffering.

According to proofs in this case, Garner and Sylvanus Massaquoi had an ongoing dispute, including an instance in April, when Massaquoi had stabbed Garner. Massaquoi and two others had come into the apartment complex to confront Garner because of the dispute, and approached Garner, his mother and sister as he swung a firearm.

Garner and his family could enter their house without further incident.

Garner then left the building and was confronted again by Massaquoi. Garner left the left to access a pistol from a vehicle before returning and opened the fire for the three people. He explained that a member of the group first shot on him, but the investigators could not find any evidence that the weapon had been fired in Massaquoi's property.

Initially, the responding officials thought that Garner was a victim in the incident, but he was arrested a week later.

The weapon used by Garner was not found and, according to the report, he spent that it is hidden outside the state.

Since Garner was initially able to safely remove himself and his family from the encounter and return later to attack the group, “the investigators stated that the application of violence by the defendant was not justified when the defendant was repeated into the Massaquoi group.

Massaquoi was charged with assault in the incident, but the indictment was later fallen.

According to court files, Massaquoi also has three earlier charges for assault and battery, none of which were prosecuted. These incidents occurred in September and October last year and on May 4, 2023, when he supposedly attacked a teacher. He was convicted of drug ownership, which was due to March 3, 2023, and was sentenced to five years in prison, whereby being suspended all the time.

During the hearing of Garner on February 27, judge Stephen E. Sincavage delayed the conviction until another examination of whether he is qualified as a youthful perpetrator. He will step down before the court on April 3 at 10 a.m.

Garner has a prison sentence of up to 20 years in prison, which corresponds to wounds in each of the malicious charges.