Two Southeast D.C. Men Sentenced to 10 and 6 Years for 2024 Daytime Shooting That Fired Over 15 Rounds

Vance McIlwain, 34, and Kenneth Johnson, 33, both of Washington, D.C., were sentenced May 15, 2026, to 10 years and six years in prison respectively for charges tied to a daytime shooting in a residential neighborhood in southeast D.C. that involved more than 15 rounds fired, the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia announced.

The sentences cover convictions on federal firearms offenses linked to the incident. McIlwain will serve the longer term while Johnson received the six-year term. Both men are District residents and were prosecuted in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia.

The sentences change the prior state in which both men remained at liberty pending final disposition. With sentencing now complete, McIlwain must begin serving a 10-year federal prison term immediately and Johnson a six-year term. Federal Bureau of Prisons will designate facilities and calculate exact release dates after credit for time served.

Downstream, the convictions and sentences trigger standard federal supervised release periods that will follow each man's prison term. The U.S. Attorney's Office will close this specific prosecution file while the broader Project Safe Neighborhoods initiative in the District continues to prioritize gun cases involving shots fired in residential areas.

The sentences also add two felony convictions to the local criminal record, which will affect any future background checks or firearms purchases by the men upon release.

This sentencing concludes a case opened after the 2024 daytime shooting. The Department of Justice has pursued similar gun-related charges in the District through its Violent Crime Reduction Initiative, which coordinates federal, local and community efforts to address repeat gun offenders in high-violence neighborhoods.

The U.S. Attorney's Office has secured multiple multi-year sentences in comparable southeast D.C. shooting cases over the past 24 months.