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A jury found Markus Dowdy, 34, of Silver Spring, guilty of second-degree murder and other offenses following a violent shooting and assault that was caught on camera, prosecutors announced on Monday, March 3.
Markus Tyrell Dowdy
The deadly shooting happened just before 6 p.m. on Nov. 4, 2023, at America’s Best Wings in the White Oak Shopping Center on New Hampshire Avenue in Silver Spring.
Surveillance footage shows Marvin Jefferson, 34, walk into the restaurant and approach Dowdy, who had a gun in his hand.
Within seconds, Dowdy began chasing Jefferson, firing multiple rounds as the victim tried to escape, according to police.
* WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO *
Jefferson was struck three times before falling to the ground.
Even after that, Dowdy pistol-whipped him as he lay wounded, officials said. A second victim, standing outside the restaurant, was also hit by gunfire but survived.
* WARNING: GRAPHIC VIDEO, AUDIO *
Investigators say the shooting was an act of revenge for an altercation the week before.
According to police, Jefferson had punched Dowdy in the face during an argument outside a nearby liquor store.
A confidential informant provided investigators with cellphone footage of the fight, which showed Dowdy wearing the same sneakers and blue bandana as the shooter in the restaurant attack, court documents state.
Dowdy, a convicted felon and known Crips gang member, was already on supervised probation for prior firearm and organized crime convictions, officials said.
Specifically, Dowdy was convicted of:
- Second-degree murder;
- First-degree assault;
- Two counts of firearm use in a violent crime;
- Illegal gun possession;
- Reckless endangerment.
"(Dowdy) recklessly fired a handgun in a crowded shopping center in the middle of the day," State’s Attorney John McCarthy said in a statement. "We are thankful that Montgomery County Police were able to locate him and that our prosecution team secured a conviction that should ensure he is no longer a danger to our community."
He faces up to 125 years in prison at his sentencing on June 13.
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