What happens when you put immature people with automatic weapons and too much time on their hands on the streets of the nation’s capital?
Well, you might get the case of the 21-year-old National Guardsman who is sitting in the D.C. jail for drawing a gun on a fellow guardsman over … hairstyles.
But you know it’s not quite that.
According to court documents, on Aug. 25, Zion Mitchell and six other guardsmen were taking a break from patrol in a van parked outside of a Popeyes Louisiana Fried Chicken on H Street, in Northeast D.C.
An argument in the van reportedly erupted over “regulation hairstyles,” wherein Mitchell reportedly told a woman soldier, “I will slap the Jackson 5 out of you!” The unidentified woman allegedly replied, “Shut the f*ck up!”, after which Mitchell unholstered his gun and pointed it at her.
All of the guardsmen present were interviewed.
Though the woman in the front seat did not see Mitchell pull his gun out, she said she heard a “holster click” and witnesses inside the van stated they saw it raised. The female guard member then left the van and went inside Popeyes.
Mitchell initially said that the argument was “playful” and that he did not aim the gun at the woman’s head.
According to CNN, Mitchell later “recanted his statement and said he pulled out his pistol and pointed it toward the soldier, but said the gun was aiming downward and not at the soldier’s head.”
Military Times reports that a witness said he saw Mitchell aim his weapon at the victim over another witness’s shoulder, and the weapon was loaded, with a round in the chamber.
Military Times also reports that one of the witnesses said that the victim had rejected Mitchell’s advances and the two had ongoing friction; others said that “he picks on people,” and “threatens women,” as first reported by WUSA9.
The National Guard has been deployed in Washington, D.C., since last year, as part of Trump’s “Make DC Safe and Beautiful” campaign of August 2025. ABC reports that after a summer surge for America’s 250th anniversary, 3,100 guardsmen are currently deployed to D.C., although violent crime is down in the city.
Court records indicate Mitchell did not enter a plea at his preliminary hearing, and his next hearing is scheduled for Sept. 15.
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