Marquis Brown Gets 85 Years for Morgan State Shooting
A Washington, D.C., man convicted in the 2023 Morgan State University mass shooting has been sentenced to 85 years in prison, nearly three years after gunfire shattered the HBCU’s Homecoming celebrations.
Marquis Brown, now 20, was sentenced Wednesday in Baltimore City Circuit Court after a jury convicted him in May of five counts of attempted second-degree murder and related handgun and reckless endangerment offenses. Brown was just 17 years old when the shooting occurred and had faced a maximum possible sentence of approximately 259 years.
The shooting happened in October 3, 2023, near Morgan State’s Thurgood Marshall Hall and Murphy Fine Arts Center shortly after the university’s coronation ceremony. Prosecutors said Brown and another gunman opened fire into a crowded area filled with students and visitors. Five people between 18 and 22 years old were shot, including four Morgan State students. All survived.
The violence prompted Morgan State to cancel the remainder of its Homecoming activities. During sentencing, Circuit Judge Althea Handy called the shooting “senseless” and noted it was miraculous that no one was killed. Brown’s attorneys sought a sentence of 20 to 30 years and said he continues to maintain his innocence.
Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said the 85-year sentence holds Brown accountable for the devastation caused and demonstrates how seriously his office treats violence that endangers young people.
The case is not completely over. Brown’s alleged co-defendant, Jovan “Chewy” Williams was indicted in June on attempted murder charges connected to the shooting. Williams is already serving a 15-year federal sentence for unrelated crimes and is scheduled to return to court later this month.
