Overview
- Marquis Brown was sentenced to 85 years in prison this week after a jury in May convicted him on five counts of attempted second-degree murder for the October 3, 2023 homecoming shooting at Morgan State University.
- Police say gunfire near the Thurgood Marshall Apartment Complex during the homecoming celebration injured five people, four of whom were Morgan State students, and forced cancellation of several campus events.
- Baltimore City State’s Attorney Ivan Bates said the sentence ensures Brown will spend the large majority of his life behind bars and was intended to send a clear message about protecting young people.
- Brown was one of two men charged in the case; the other suspect, identified in reporting as Jovan or Javon Williams, is serving a separate prison term in Washington, D.C., for unrelated offenses.
- The sentence renews focus on campus safety at the historically Black university and could prompt renewed reviews of event security, student housing patrols, and city-university coordination to prevent future violence.