Charges dropped against man formerly accused in DC shooting that killed Blake Bozeman

Man wrongfully jailed for DC shooting that killed Blake Bozeman released

One of two men charged in a deadly shooting inside a D.C. nightclub that claimed the life of former college basketball standout Blake Bozeman is speaking out to FOX 5 now that he's a free man. Our Bob Barnard has the story.

WASHINGTON - One of two men charged in a deadly shooting inside a D.C. nightclub that claimed the life of former college basketball standout Blake Bozeman is speaking out to FOX 5 now that he's a free man.

Antwan Shelton spent the better part of the past month in jail on a charge of first-degree murder, but now, the case against him has been dropped.

The backstory:

Shelton was accused in what turned out to be a sensational case — a mass shooting inside the Cru Lounge and Hookah Bar on H Street, Northeast a year and a half ago.

Former Morgan State University basketball player Blake Bozeman was shot to death and three others were injured by the gunfire.

Shelton was one of two men eventually charged in the case just last month. The other was a D.C. violence interrupter.

Now, Shelton is out of jail after a judge released him from custody on the request of federal prosecutors.

Shelton says that's because he wasn't there that night, and wasn't the man seen in the surveillance images that were part of the investigation.

What he says:

Now, Shelton is just trying to put the pieces of his life back together.

"Just trying to get my life back in order," Shelton told FOX 5. "It was very devastating to me to be snatched from my job and put on the news and accused of a heinous crime like that. You know what I'm saying. It's like everywhere I go, people are looking at me two or three times and they feel like they know me because they see me on the news but you know that wasn't me."

The 41-year-old D.C. native says he has spent time in jail but never for a crime of violence.

He told FOX 5 he was fired from his job at Pepco — a job he says took a lot of time and hard work to get.

Shelton says he's grateful the system saw fit to release him from jail, knowing a lot of people charged with a crime will proclaim their innocence but says he's still struggling.

"Even though I'm home, I don't have a job so I don't have everybody's tell me it's going to be ok but what about today? What about my bills? What about my family? What about my sanity? You know my peace? Like other than my close family and friends I haven't really been around anyone," Shelton said.

What's next:

Shelton says he plans to sue the city and MPD and hopes to get his job back as a lineman for Pepco. FOX 5 has reached out to D.C. police, the U.S. Attorney's Office and Pepco. We're still waiting to hear back.

What happened:

According to police, the shooting occurred on Saturday, September 23, 2023. Police arrived at the hookah lounge around 11:51 p.m. in response to a shooting at the establishment.

Upon arrival, officers located three men and one woman suffering from gunshot wounds.

Bozeman was pronounced dead after being transported to a hospital. The other three victims were treated for non-life-threatening injuries.

Bozeman, was known in the region as a star Morgan State basketball player and the son of a winning coach. He was also a husband and father to three young children.

FOX 5 also learned Bozeman served as a leader in the community, having started a non-profit that worked to help athletes find their careers if pro basketball was not for them.

The Brief