Overview
- A Prince George’s County judge found Sgt. Robert Warrington guilty on all counts, including attempted second-degree murder, after a two-day bench trial.
- The case stems from a Sept. 12, 2024 traffic-stop on Route 50 where investigators say Nathaniel Richardson was unarmed and holding a cellphone when a shot was fired toward him.
- Wednesday’s verdict followed body-camera audio that captured Warrington saying “He had a gun” and repeatedly apologizing after the shot was fired, which prosecutors used to argue the shooting was intentional.
- Warrington remains free on personal recognizance and is scheduled to be sentenced in September 2026 while a civil lawsuit by a driver hit by the stray bullet is stayed until the criminal case is resolved.
- The case has drawn national attention for its questions about on-duty use of force, the role of body-worn video in court, and organized legal backing for officers from the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund.