WASHINGTON — Two Washington, D.C., men were sentenced Friday to lengthy prison terms for the 2017 killing of 17-year-old Jamahri Sydnor in a broad daylight shooting that also wounded three others, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Robert Moses, 25, was sentenced to 61 years, while James Mayfield, 25, received a 50-year sentence, both followed by five years of supervised release.
The pair were convicted in December 2022 of multiple charges, including first-degree murder while armed, conspiracy, and several counts of assault with intent to kill. Moses was also found guilty of obstructing justice due to his actions while on pre-trial release at the time of the shooting.
The shooting occurred on August 10, 2017, at the busy intersection of Montana and Saratoga Avenues in Northeast D.C. Moses and Mayfield, armed with firearms, fired over ten rounds indiscriminately across the street, striking Sydnor, who was driving through the intersection with her 12-year-old nephew. Sydnor, the daughter of a retired Metropolitan Police Department detective, was fatally shot in the head, causing her vehicle to crash. Her nephew was injured by shattered glass. Two other bystanders were also injured, including a man who was shot while speaking with friends and another who shattered his leg while trying to take cover.
In addition to the August shooting, Mayfield is facing separate charges for a crime spree later in 2017, with a trial set for January 2025.