WASHINGTON, D.C. – Roger Lee Jones, 42, was convicted on April 7 by a Superior Court jury of assault with intent to kill while armed and a series of other charges related to a 2022 shooting that left a former NFL prospect paralyzed. The verdict was reached after a two-week trial, announced the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
The charges stemmed from a violent January 22, 2022 incident outside Kick Axe Throw Social in Northeast Washington, D.C., following a domestic dispute. Jones, who was also convicted of three counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, aggravated assault, and assault with a dangerous weapon, was also found guilty of carrying a pistol without a license and several other offenses.
The evidence presented at trial showed that Jones assaulted his ex-girlfriend outside the venue before later returning to shoot a security guard — who was not involved in the earlier altercation — at close range. The victim, identified as a former NFL prospect, was struck seven times in the chest and back, leaving him paralyzed from the waist down.
After the shooting, Jones fled in a stolen vehicle and evaded police, but was later identified through surveillance video, phone and vehicle data, and ballistics evidence that connected the firearm to a previous shooting.
Jones is scheduled to be sentenced on June 13, before Superior Court Judge Danya A. Dayson. He faces a lengthy prison sentence for his violent actions, which have left the victim with lasting injuries.
The case highlights the ongoing efforts by law enforcement to hold individuals accountable for violent crimes, especially those involving firearms and serious harm to others.
