A Washington, D.C., man has been sentenced to 32 years in prison for killing a 26-year-old man during a flag football game at an elementary school in October 2021. Antonio Hawley, 23, was sentenced in D.C. Superior Court on October 9, 2026, for the fatal shooting of Aaron Wiggins on the sports field of Watkins Elementary School, according to the U.S.
Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia. Hawley was 18 at the time of the shooting, which took place following a flag football scrimmage between two opposing teams. Newsweek contacted the Department of Justice via email on Monday for comment.
The shooting occurred at approximately 9:45 p.m. on October 6, 2021, while Hawley and Wiggins were playing against each other during a flag football game at Watkins Elementary School. According to evidence presented by the government, the field lights switched off during the match. Both teams agreed to play one final down before ending the game.
During that last play, Wiggins caught the winning touchdown. However, tensions had been building throughout the game, with Wiggins and members of Hawley’s team engaging in repeated verbal taunts. The exchanges became more heated after Wiggins scored the decisive touchdown.
The game ended, and players from both teams began collecting their belongings in preparation to leave the field. As players gathered their possessions, Hawley took a handgun from a teammate’s bag and approached Wiggins. Hawley then fired 17 shots at the 26-year-old, striking him 13 times.
Wiggins died at the scene. During the trial, Wiggins’ girlfriend, who witnessed the shooting while on the field with him, delivered an emotional testimony about the incident, as reported by DC Witness. Attorney’s Office described the incident as a fatal outcome of a rivalry during a flag football game.
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