SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 20 , 2022. THE WASHINGTON POST EZ SU C5
BY LIZZIE JOHNSONAn 18-year-old who allegedly
opened fire inside a Days Inn in
Northwest Washington h as been
charged with second-degree mur-
der of a 20-year-old Maryland
woman.
Gerald Thomas of Temple
Hills, Md., appeared in D.C. Supe-
rior Court on Saturday, pleading
not guilty in the death of Dasha
Cleary.
Standing before Judge Laura
Cordero in white sneakers and
dark clothing, Thomas listened as
his lawyer argued that there
wasn’t enough evidence to prove
that he hadn’t acted in self-de-
fense. His aunt and mother, seat-
ed at the back of the courtroom,
watched as the judge decided to
detain him, pending his prelimi-
nary hearing.
In the charging documents,
police outlined how a surprise
birthday party on the fifth floor of
the hotel — a place neighbors had
complained about for attracting
crime — had devolved into vio-
lence on Jan. 27, leaving four
people wounded and Cleary dead.
On that early Thursday morn-
ing, the celebration in Room 505
had drawn a dozen people, who
were drinking and smoking in a
room with two queen beds, ac-
cording to court documents. On
the bed farthest from the door,
Cleary was dancing to loud mu-sic, witnesses said in the charging
documents.
Police said Thomas’s girlfriend
was in attendance, as was her
ex-boyfriend. As she put on make-
up in the hotel bathroom with
two friends, Thomas repeatedly
called her, witnesses told police.
Thomas thought she was cheat-
ing on him, so he told her to get
her possessions and leave, the
charging documents said.
Eventually, Thomas went to
the Days Inn and persuaded a
guest to swipe him into the hotel
and onto the elevator, the charg-
ing documents said. When he
tried to get into the hotel room to
see his girlfriend, the partygoers
attempted to close the door onhim. Then, police said, Thomas
pointed a gun into the room and
started shooting.
Someone within the room re-
turned fire, court documents
said, though no additional arrests
have been made.
When police arrived at the
hotel around 3:30 a.m., they
found a trail of blood leading out
of Room 505, down a staircase
and along the hotel’s exterior.
Thirty-two bullets from two g uns
were gathered at the scene, along
with a handgun in the parking
lot.
Thomas’ girlfriend was found
in the lobby with life-threatening
wounds to her a bdomen and
back. A second woman had beenshot in the leg.
In Room 505, blood was splat-
tered on the walls, the floor and
the bedspreads. Cleary — who
was described by family as a
“caretaker by nature” — was
found on one of the queen-size
beds. She was pronounced dead
hours later at Washington Hospi-
tal Center.
Two other men later appeared
at a hospital, suffering from gun-
shot wounds to the leg and hand.
At 3:31 a.m., Thomas’ girl-
friend had called a relative to say
she’d been shot, according to the
charging documents. The relative
then called Thomas to ask what
had happened.
In a series of text messagesincluded in the charging docu-
ments, Thomas said he had been
talking to his girlfriend at the
hotel room when someone else
started firing a gun.
In an ensuing text message
conversation with the relative,
Thomas asked if the woman was
okay and what hospital she’d
been taken to. The relative told
him she was in surgery for a
gunshot wound to the stomach.
“Im going to jail,” Thomas text-
ed her. “... Im so so so sorry this
is happening they tried to kill
me.” In the next message: “Ma
like I really apologize im so hurt
rn.”
His next court appearance is
scheduled for March 3.THE DISTRICT
18-year-old is charged with murder in shooting at hotel party in Northwest
BY WASHINGTON POST STAFFAs the latest surge of the coro-
navirus recedes across the Wash-
ington region, officials are begin-
ning to lift vaccination and mask
mandates and relax other restric-
tions. However, there are still
some areas — such as public
transportation and schools —
where restrictions remain in
place.
Here’s what you need to know
about the state of coronavirus
restrictions across the region.
Where do I still need to wear
a mask?
In the District: Mayor Muriel
E. Bowser (D) announced that she
is letting the city’s indoor mask
mandate expire at the end of
February. Beginning March 1,
masks will no longer be required
in many indoor public spaces.
However, the city is still urging
people to wear masks indoors
voluntarily. And masks will con-
tinue to be required in some
congregate settings, such as
schools, public transit and emer-
gency shelters. In addition, pri-
vate businesses can still require
masks to be worn by their pa-
trons.
In Maryland: There is no
statewide masking order for in-
door spaces in effect, although
masks are still required in certain
settings, such as public transit.
Beginning T uesday, masks will no
longer be required to be worn
inside state buildings in Mary-
land. School systems are allowed
to make their own decisions
about masking when vaccination
rates reach 80 percent or when
transmission rates are low to
moderate for 14 days as reported
by the Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention. Local jurisdic-
tions may still impose a masking
requirement. Montgomery Coun-
ty’s indoor mask requirement ex-
pires at 11:59 p.m. Monday. Prince
George’s County’s indoor mask
mandate expires at 5 p.m. March
9.
In Virginia: There is no state-
wide mask mandate in place.
Some localities require masks to
be worn inside local government
buildings, including the city of
Alexandria and the counties of
Arlington, Fairfax and Loudoun.
Public schools must allow indi-
vidual parents to opt their chil-
dren out of wearing masks by
March 1. Private businesses can
still require masks to be worn by
their patrons.Do I need to show proof of
coronavirus vaccination to
enter a business?
In the District: The city l ast
Tuesday dropped its requirement
for patrons of restaurants, gyms,
concert venues and sports arenas
to show proof of coronavirus vac-
cination. However, some busi-
nesses have opted to continue
requiring proof of vaccination to
enter.
In Maryland and Virginia:
There is no overall requirementto show proof of coronavirus vac-
cination to enter a business, al-
though businesses are free to
require it on their own.What are the masking
requirements for public
schools?
In the District: Masks are re-quired in schools in the city.
In Maryland: School systems
are allowed to make their own
decisions about masking when
vaccination rates reach 80 per-
cent or when transmission rates
are low to moderate for 14 days as
reported by the Centers for Dis-
ease Control and Prevention.In Virginia: Public schools
must allow p arents to opt their
children out of wearing masks by
March 1.Where can I get a
coronavirus test?
In the District: You can find
locations of testing sites in thecity by visiting coronavi-
rus.dc.gov/testing.
In Maryland: You can find a
list of testing sites in Maryland at
coronavirus.maryland.gov/pag-
es/symptoms-testing.
In Virginia: You can find a list
of testing sites in Virginia at
http://www.vdh.virginia.gov/coronavi-
rus/protect-yourself/covid-19-
testing/covid-19-testing-sites.
You can also order four free
at-home coronavirus tests from
the federal government to be
mailed to your home by visiting
covidtests.gov.Where can I get a free N95 or
KN95 mask?
Major pharmacies across the
Washington region are distribut-
ing free masks. In addition, D.C.
residents can get two free KN95
masks each at any of the city’s
eight COVID Centers. The loca-
tions and hours of the centers can
be found at coronavirus.dc.gov/
covidcenters. Maryland Gov. Lar-
ry Hogan (R) announced in Janu-
ary that the state will give away
20 million N95 and KN95 masks
to state residents “through multi-
ple channels, including local
health departments, state-run
testing and vaccination sites, and
nursing homes.” Montgomery
residents can get four adult-size
N95 masks per day at libraries.
Prince George’s residents can get
two free adult-size KN95 masks at
multiple locations, including
parks and recreation community
centers and libraries.THE REGION
Coronavirus is receding, but some r estrictions remain in D.C., Maryland and Virginia
ERIC LEE/BLOOMBERG NEWS
A s ign outside a bookstore in D.C.’s Adams Morgan neighborhood on Thursday l ets customers know
that masks are still required.“I think anyplace is a good
place to give out the booster shot,”
said Baylor, who lives in New
Carrollton, Md.
He was less sanguine when
asked about his performance on
the slots.
“Not so good,” he said, staring
grimly at the Bonus Times con-
sole in front of him. “But I keep
hope alive.”effects were extremely rare and
far outweighed by the mRNA vac-
cines’ benefits, but his explana-
tions were interrupted when he
took a call from his wife, who said
it was time to leave.
Rod Baylor, a director at Unity
Health Care in D.C., was already
boosted when he noticed the vac-
cine clinic, with approval, on his
way into the casino.the prime rib joint. A number said
they were already boosted. One, a
self-identified virologist in a nice
pair of boots who declined to give
his name for fear of retribution
from his vaccine-mandating em-
ployer, said he hadn’t gotten any
vaccine doses and wasn’t about to
start.
He said he did not agree with
the scientific consensus that sidewasn’t fooled, he said: The ma-
chine was “showing off.” He didn’t
hold with the hand-waving, faith
in specific slot machines and oth-
er superstitions rife on the casino
floor.
“It’s nothing special,” he said.
“If it’s your day, it’s your day.”
Some of those around him said
they had no idea that vaccines
were being administered down byfrom a bottle of water offered to
her by one of the clinic workers
after her shot. “There was no
line.”
Thompson, 63, is a former
long-haul trucker who now drives
a school bus. She used to like
gambling, and has fond memo-
ries of $8 steak dinners at casinos
when she stopped her rig in Las
Vegas back in the day. She said she
now knows many people who are
willing to take their chances with
covid-19 rather than get the shots,
concerned about the danger of
side effects.
To her, that’s a gamble that
doesn’t make sense.
“Well,” she said when asked to
explain her reasoning, “you got
vaccines for everything else.”
Most who visited the clinic had
come for the medicine, not the
slot machines, and impromptu
visits from people entering or
exiting the casino floor were rare.
Mike Magnolia, a 66-year-old
plumber from Annapolis, paused
as he strode by the lounge and
frowned at the idle team of clini-
cians. Magnolia wanted a booster
but couldn’t afford to take time off
work in the coming days in case
the shot temporarily laid him low,
as happens to some people.
“I’m afraid I’m going to get
sick,” he said. “I want it, and know
it’s the right thing to do.”
Magnolia walked away and
boarded the elevator.
Gaines came for the vaccine,
but stayed for the slots.
“This is my outlet,” he ex-
plained, sliding into a chair in
front of an 88 Fortunes machine
after leaving the clinic. “I don’t
drink. I don’t smoke. I don’t cheat
on my wife.”
Gaines had showed up with
$100 and now broke $190. But heCASINO FROM C1For casino-goers in need of booster shots, it was their lucky dayALLISON SHELLEY FOR THE WASHINGTON POST
A h ealth-care w orker injects Barbara Freels with a c oronavirus booster shot at a clinic at Maryland’s Live! Casino and Hotel in Hanover on
Saturday. Six casinos statewide will offer booster shots by the end of the month, part of a broader effort to vaccinate Marylanders.BY MARTIN WEILOn Saturday the wind in our
area seemed even stronger than
on Friday, as gusts reached more
than 50 mph, trees toppled and
the dark waters of the Potomac
River were whipped into waves
and whitecaps.
Under a bright sun, and be-
neath a blue sky that betrayed no
sign of storminess, the winds of
the afternoon had their way with
us, impeding the progress of pe-
destrians who tried to plot a
course to the northwest.
Washington’s peak gust was
clocked at 50 mph, from the
northwest, but that was outdone
at Dulles International Airport,
where the National Weather
Service measured a gust of 56
mph.
Winds, sustained over a longer
period than gusts, rose to 36 mph
in Washington and 38 at Dulles.
Twigs, street debris and the
remaining fallen leaves of au-
tumn skittered across the
ground. Atop their metal curb-
side poles, traffic signs twisted
and trembled, and residents pur-
sued windblown trash can tops.
Bereft of the leaves that feel
the force of the wind in summer,
tree branches seemed to respond
to it Saturday with constant nod-
ding.
But some trees fell in promi-
nent spots — onto a car in south
Arlington on roads in western
Fairfax County, and onto a high-
way in Howard County, accord-
ing to reports made to the Weath-
er Service.
By Saturday night, the winds
appeared to be subsiding.
THE DISTRICT
Winds gust over
50 mph, whip up
waves on river
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