Bowie officer's attempted murder trial ends, verdict expected soon

The question now resting with the judge is not just what Sgt. Robert Warrington saw on Collington Road, but whether a police officer’s split-second decision crossed the line into attempted second-degree murder. After a two-day bench trial in Prince George’s County court in Upper Marlboro, a verdict was expected Wednesday in the case against the Bowie officer, whose 2024 shooting set off a larger debate over accountability and public trust.

Warrington, a 12-year veteran of the Bowie Police Department, was indicted on attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, reckless endangerment and misconduct in office after the Sept. 12, 2024, encounter near U.S. Route 50 and the John Hanson Highway. Around 8 a.m., he stopped on Collington Road, also known as Maryland Route 197, to check on a white SUV parked on the shoulder. Body-camera and dashcam footage released publicly after the investigation showed Warrington asking, “Are you here to help her?” before firing a single shot moments later. The bullet struck a passing minivan, but no one was injured.

The person in the SUV, Nathaniel Richardson, said he was on his way to the hospital for treatment of a hand injury, was unarmed, was not under arrest and was never charged with a crime. Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Aisha Braveboy said he cooperated with investigators, and she argued that the video “speaks for itself” and that the law applies to everyone. Bowie Police Chief Dwayne Preston said Warrington was suspended without pay and described the incident as a “non-contact” officer-involved shooting, while also saying he supported the grand jury process and approved the public release of the footage after consulting with the State’s Attorney’s Office.

Defense lawyers, backed by the Law Enforcement Legal Defense Fund, pressed a different interpretation, arguing that the video does not automatically prove a crime, let alone attempted second-degree murder. Jason Johnson, president of the legal defense group, said that seeing the footage does not by itself make the case criminal. Attorney Justin Holloman also said another person whose vehicle was hit by the stray bullet has suffered lasting trauma and has filed a civil lawsuit that is being held until the criminal case is resolved.

The trial was originally scheduled for March 2025 but was delayed several times before opening Monday and ending Tuesday. However the judge rules, the decision will signal how far Prince George’s County is willing to go in prosecuting an on-duty officer whose shot missed a person but damaged a passing vehicle and shook confidence in how police handle uncertain roadside encounters.