On a Friday afternoon in Suitland, Maryland, a dispute between acquaintances tragically escalated, leaving one man dead. The incident occurred around 3:00 p.m. on January 14, 2022, in a parking lot in the 4500 block of Silver Hill Road. It was there that 29-year-old Eric Branch-Simpson, a Black male from Brandywine, was shot and killed. When officers from the Prince George's County Police Department arrived at the scene, they discovered Branch-Simpson suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation quickly revealed that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Detectives determined that Branch-Simpson knew his assailant and that the fatal encounter stemmed from a dispute between the two men. Within weeks, investigators identified a suspect in the killing.
On January 28, 2022, police arrested 22-year-old Markees Mings of Suitland in connection with the death of Eric Branch-Simpson. Mings was subsequently charged with first and second-degree murder, along with other related charges. Following his arrest, he was taken into the custody of the Department of Corrections and held without bond. The case against Markees Mings is pending in the court system.
