2 men sentenced to 5 years for 2024 shooting outside Dunbar High School
2 DC men sentenced to 5 years for 2024 Dunbar High shooting
Saki Frost, 19, and Azhari Graves, 20, were sentenced to five years in prison for their roles in a 2024 shooting outside Dunbar High School that left a student injured. The judge sentenced both men under D.C.'s Youth Rehabilitation Act, turning down a 10-year sentencing request from prosecutors.
WASHINGTON - Two men were sentenced to five years in prison following a shooting outside Dunbar High School that shook the community.
What we know:
In an emotional sentencing hearing at D.C. Superior Court, Judge Michael Ryan sentenced both Saki Frost, 19, and Azhari Graves, 20, to five years in prison followed by two years of supervised probation. The sentences will be served under the District’s Youth Rehabilitation Act.
Federal prosecutors were pushing for a much stiffer penalty, asking the judge to impose 10-year sentences for both defendants.
READ MORE | 2 teens face charges after stray bullet from shooting grazed Dunbar High School student’s head
The changes stem from an incident in May 2024, when Frost and Graves, who were both teens at the time, opened fire on a parked car outside of Dunbar High School.
A student was grazed in the head by a bullet, and a stray bullet also hit the building. Investigators recovered 29 shell casings from the scene.
Both men eventually accepted a plea deal.
In exchange for pleading guilty to aggravated assault while armed, assault with a dangerous weapon, and carrying a pistol without a license, prosecutors agreed to dismiss more serious charges, including assault with intent to kill.
Family members, including the defendants’ mothers, filled the courtroom Thursday as defense attorneys fought for leniency.
The defense presented lengthy testimony detailing childhoods defined by poverty, exposure to violence, and absent fathers. They also emphasized that neither Frost nor Graves had a significant prior criminal record.
What they're saying:
Jordan Esteban, an attorney and Frost’s former football coach, also testified, speaking on behalf of the 19-year-old both as an athlete and a person.
"Seeing him in an orange jumpsuit was a nightmare for me, given what I know about him," said Esteban. "I’m just grateful that these boys got a second chance… to survive."
Before handing down the sentences, Judge Ryan noted that he struggled deeply to find the right balance. He emphasized that the shooting could have killed someone, while also weighing the defendants' young ages and their potential to reform.
Ultimately, the judge determined that sentencing the men under the Youth Rehabilitation Act would offer them a path forward while still holding them accountable for the violence.
The Source: This information is from FOX 5 DC reporting.