South Carolina Man Sentenced to 18.5 Years for 2022 Shooting in Adams Morgan

WASHINGTON - Jakiem Miller, 28, of South Carolina, was sentenced today, to 18.5 years in prison for shooting and killing Avon Perkins, 30, and also shooting an innocent bystander college student, outside Air Nightclub in Washington, D.C., announced U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro.

After a February 2026 mistrial due to an attorney's mid-trial hospitalization, defendant pleaded guilty on May 6, 2026, to one count of voluntary manslaughter while armed, for the killing of Avon Perkins on December 17, 2022, and one count of assault with a dangerous weapon, for the shooting of an innocent bystander, a college student, that same night. Superior Court Judge Todd Edelman sentenced Miller, on August 7, to the prison term to be follow by five years of supervised release.

According to the government's evidence, a little after midnight on December 17, 2022, Mr. Perkins was asked by management to leave Air Nightclub on 18th St. NW in Adams Morgan. While waiting outside for his friend, Mr. Perkins was approached by Miller, who had also been in the club that night. After a brief discussion, the Mr. Perkins punched the defendant in the face. The defendant responded by pulling out a firearm from his groin area and firing off nine shots at Mr. Perkins, shooting him twice in the back as the victim ran away for his life, killing him on scene. One of Miller's bullets also struck an innocent bystander college student in the butt who was walking out of Andy's Pizza a few storefronts down. Her injuries were non-life threatening. She was treated at a local hospital and released.

Joining the announcement was Interim Police Chief Jeffery Carroll of the Metropolitan Police Department.

In announcing the sentence, U.S. Attorney Pirro and Interim Chief Carroll commended the work of those who investigated the case from the Metropolitan Police Department. They acknowledged the efforts of those who worked on the case from the U.S. Attorney's Office, including former Assistant U.S. Attorney Sam Danai, Paralegal Specialists Grazy Rivera and Lauren Douglas, Victim/Witness Advocates Jenn Clark and Deidria Ellis, Litigation Technology Specialists Sigourney Jackson and Leif Hickling, Victim/Witness Services Coordinators Shanika McCollough and Katina Adams, and intern Yushi Liu.

Finally, they commended the work of Assistant U.S. Attorneys Anthony Cocuzza and Erin DeRiso, who investigated and prosecuted the case.

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