Montgomery Village man convicted for fatal shooting in D.C. bar

42-year-old faces up to 33 years in prison for second-degree murder, other offenses

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May 6, 2026 6:12 p.m.

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A Montgomery Village man was found guilty Tuesday of second-degree murder while armed in connection with the April 2024 shooting death of a man at a Northwest Washington, D.C., bar and eatery, the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the District of Columbia said Tuesday in a press release.

Robert Lowe, 42, faces a prison sentence of up to 33 years for killing Kenneth Goins, 43, of Salisbury, Maryland, the release said. In addition to second-degree murder, Lowe also was found guilty by a Superior Court jury of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence and unlawful possession of a firearm due to having a prior felony conviction.

Lowe’s attorneys, Martine Kaplan and Lisbeth Sapierstein, did not immediately respond to an email request for comment Wednesday afternoon about Lowe’s conviction.

Lowe’s prior conviction could not be determined through a search of online court records. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 17, according to online court records.

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Goins died after he was shot multiple times by Lowe during a fight at Desperados Burger and Bar at 1342 U St. in Northwest Washington, D.C., in the early morning of April 27, 2024, according to the release. The altercation began around 1:10 a.m. after Lowe approached Goins at the restaurant’s bar and struck him in the head with a bottle.

According to the release, Goins began to “get the best of” Lowe during the altercation, and Lowe shot him multiple times. After shooting, Lowe fled the scene on his motorcycle, the release said.

Officers with D.C.’s Metropolitan Police Department were in the area at the time of the shooting and heard the gunshots, according to the release. During Lowe’s trial, prosecutors presented body camera footage from those officers, the release said, which showed “a person getting onto a motorcycle in the alley and a person in front of the bar pointing towards the man on the motorcycle yelling ‘hey, him.’ ”

Some responding officers went to the bar after the shooting, the Metropolitan Police Department said in a May 2024 press release. Inside the bar, those officers found Goins suffering from “multiple gunshot wounds.”

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The officers attempted to render life-saving aid to Goins, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Less than a month after the incident, investigators obtained an arrest warrant for Lowe, and he was taken into custody on May 22, 2024, Metropolitan police said. Lowe has been in custody since then.

According to an online obituary, Goins was remembered as a person who helped others, and as a basketball player and gifted leader. He attended public schools in Wicomico County and enlisted in the U.S. Army after graduating from high school. He later pursued a career in real estate.

Goins “had many strengths,” the obituary said. “He was a genuine and authentic visionary, an avid reader, poet, and outstanding writer. He had a brilliant and quick sense of humor. In a debate, you had better be up for the challenge. He enjoyed living life to the fullest and will truly be missed.”

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Originally published at Bethesdamagazine