Early Friday morning, an 18-year-old man was shot by U.S. Marshals after he allegedly tried to carjack federal bodyguards outside Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s home in Northwest Washington, D.C. The incident occurred at approximately 1:15 AM when Kentrell Flowers approached a Deputy U.S. Marshal sitting in a vehicle outside Sotomayor’s condominium and pointed a handgun at him.
The marshal responded by firing multiple shots, with another marshal in a separate vehicle also discharging his weapon. Flowers, who sustained non-life-threatening injuries, was taken to a local hospital and has been charged with armed carjacking, carrying a pistol without a license, and possession of a large-capacity ammunition feeding device. No law enforcement officers were harmed.
The U.S. Marshals Service confirmed that the officers involved were part of Justice Sotomayor’s protective detail. This incident raises significant concerns about the security measures in place for federal officials and their residences in Washington, D.C.
This event is part of a troubling pattern of security threats against high-profile individuals. In 2022, a man was arrested for plotting to assassinate Justice Brett Kavanaugh. More recently, in November 2023, Secret Service agents protecting President Joe Biden’s granddaughter Naomi were involved in a shooting while thwarting a break-in attempt on an unmarked SUV. Additionally, Democrat Congressman Enrique ‘Henry’ Cuellar was carjacked outside a residential block for lawmakers. Earlier this year, former Trump official Mike Gill was killed in a series of carjackings in D.C.
These incidents underscore the increasing security challenges faced by prominent officials and necessitate enhanced safety protocols to protect them and their families.
