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Raging Gunman Who Shot Ex's Pregnant Friend In Southeast DC Closet Convicted: Feds

A District man who went on a rampage while targeting a former paramour is facing time behind bars after being convicted of assault with the intent to kill a pregnant woman he shot in the back of the head in Southeast DC.

Joshua Hemphill

Joshua Hemphill

Photo Credit: Metropolitan Police Department

Joshua Hemphill, 32, was convicted this week on a host of charges for a 2018 shooting when he attacked an ex who was in the company of a friend during a “fit of rage,” federal prosecutors say.

On Sept. 21, 2018, Hemphill went to a home where his ex was staying with her friend, and during an outburst, he fired a shot into the door of the apartment and burst his way into the home.

According to prosecutors, Hemphill the chased the two women into a small closet, where he fired two rounds from only three feet away. The first shot hit the friend in the hand and the second in the back of her head.

At the time, she was 24 weeks pregnant. The woman was rushed to MedStar Washington Hospital where she received emergency neurosurgery. Both she and the child survived.

Hemphill went on the run and was arrested weeks later in Pennsylvania. 

Once taken back to DC, a judge issued a court order to stay away from his ex, which he violated multiple times between October 2018 and April 2019, according to officials.

He was found guilty by a jury this week of:

  • Two counts of assault with intent to kill while armed;
  • Aggravated assault while armed;
  • First-degree burglary while armed;
  • Multiple counts of contempt;
  • Multiple weapons offenses.

No information about his sentencing has been released by the Department of Justice.

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