Del Ray Shooting: Teen Pleads Guilty

ALEXANDRIA, VA—The teenage suspect in the July shooting that injured three in Del Ray pleaded guilty Monday to three counts of malicious wounding and three counts of use of a firearm in the commission of malicious wounding. David Palmer, 17, of Alexandria is being tried as an adult and faces sentencing Jan. 25, 2018.

The July 27 shooting was a shock to Del Ray residents after the nearby congressional shooting a little over prior. The shooting happened after the defendant showed up making threats to a resident of a home in the 300 block of East Howell Avenue. He waited on the porch for the resident to come home around 12:40 p.n.

When the resident returned home in the car with two other people, the defendant walked up and fired about 15 rounds into the car as it drove on East Howell Avenue. Each of the victims was hit by at least one bullet. The driver was shot in the face, and the bullet fractured bones in the victim's face before exiting the head.

An image taken by an Alexandria resident showed the car crashed into a parked car. Police say Palmer continued to shoot at the car even after the crash. The three victims, aged 19, 21 and 49, went to the hospital with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds.

Image by Twitter user Justin Sparrow, used with permission