Virginia Man Indicted on Federal and Local Charges in Shooting of Security Officer at Family Research Council

Defendant Due in Court for Arraignment on Friday

WASHINGTON—Floyd Lee Corkins, II, 28, of Herndon, Virginia, was indicted by a grand jury today on federal and District of Columbia charges involving the shooting last week of a security guard at the Family Research Council in downtown Washington, D.C.

The indictment was announced by U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr.; James W. McJunkin, Assistant Director of the FBI’s Washington Field Office; and Cathy L. Lanier, Chief of the Metropolitan Police Department (MPD).

The grand jury returned the indictment in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Corkins, who has been in custody since his arrest soon after the August 15, 2012 shooting, was charged with the federal offense of interstate transportation of a firearm and ammunition, along with the District of Columbia offenses of assault with intent to kill while armed and possession of a firearm during a crime of violence.

The federal charge carries a maximum of 10 years in prison. The charge of assault with intent to kill while armed carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 30 years. The charge of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence carries a mandatory minimum of five years in prison and a maximum of 15 years.

According to the government’s evidence, on August 15, 2012, at about 10:45 a.m., the defendant entered the office of the Family Research Council, located at 801 G Street NW in Washington, D.C., and encountered an unarmed security guard. The defendant retrieved a firearm from his backpack, pointed it at the security guard, and opened fire, striking the guard in the arm. After being wounded, the guard moved toward the defendant, wrestled the firearm away, and subdued him.

Corkins is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment and detention hearing on August 24, 2012, before the Honorable Magistrate Judge Alan Kay.

An indictment is merely a formal charge that a defendant has committed a violation of criminal laws, and every defendant is presumed innocent until, and unless, proven guilty.

In announcing the charges, U.S. Attorney Machen, Assistant Director McJunkin, and Chief Lanier expressed their appreciation to all those who diligently investigated this case from the FBI’s Washington Field Office and the MPD. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys T. Patrick Martin and Ann Petalas of the National Security Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office.