Victor Scott Terrill, a 41-year-old resident of Landover, Maryland, faces new charges in connection with the fatal shooting of an individual identified as R.C. and the nonfatal shooting of another person on February 23, 2024. The charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Edward R. Martin, Jr., FBI Special Agent Sean Ryan from the Washington Field Office Criminal and Cyber Division, and Chief Pamela Smith of the Metropolitan Police Department.
The indictment was filed in U.S. District Court and includes first-degree murder while armed among other related counts. Terrill was previously arrested on February 29, 2024, for allegedly shooting a District Housing Authority Police Officer at an apartment building in Washington’s Navy Yard neighborhood.
Terrill had initially been charged with assaulting a law enforcement officer (felony) while armed and unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon after his arrest. A Smith & Wesson .40 caliber handgun found in a trashcan post-arrest was connected to both the murder and nonfatal shooting incidents.
Regarding the fatal incident involving R.C., Terrill is now charged with one count each of first-degree murder while armed (premeditated), unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition by a felon, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence. For the nonfatal shooting case, he faces charges including assault with intent to kill while armed, assault with significant bodily injury while armed, and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.
These offenses are alleged to have occurred while Terrill was on pretrial release concerning another matter in D.C. Superior Court.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Washington Field Office's Violent Crimes Task Force alongside MPD officers. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ariel Dean, Justin Song, Meredith Mayer-Dempsey along with Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Brendan Horan are prosecuting this case for the District of Columbia.
Authorities remind that "a criminal indictment is merely an allegation," emphasizing that "all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law."