Frankye Duckett, a 49-year-old MTA mobility van driver, was shot and killed on January 29, 2021, while on the job in northeast Baltimore. Duckett, who also worked for the Baltimore City Schools Police, was dropping off a passenger in the 4400 block of Moravia Road when the incident occurred. He was inside his MTA bus when he was fatally shot.
The investigation into Duckett's death led police to two suspects, Marquis Poteat and Ernest Ford.
Authorities identified Poteat as the shooter and Ford as the driver of the getaway vehicle. The shooting reportedly stemmed from an argument between Duckett and Poteat that happened earlier in the day when Duckett picked up Poteat's grandmother. Video footage from the bus showed a beige Buick pull up, and the passenger, later identified as Poteat, exit the vehicle, approach the driver's side of the bus, and open fire. The shooter then climbed through the shattered window and continued to shoot Duckett before fleeing in the Buick.
In April 2021, Marquis Poteat, then 33 years old, was apprehended in Florence, South Carolina, by a U.S. Marshals task force. He was extradited back to Baltimore to face charges of first and second-degree murder, as well as assault and firearms violations. Ernest Ford had been arrested earlier in connection with the shooting.
In May 2023, Marquis Poteat pleaded guilty to first-degree murder. He was sentenced to life in prison with all but 60 years suspended. He also received a concurrent 20-year sentence for a firearm offense. Ernest Ford, who drove Poteat to and from the scene, was sentenced for being an accessory after the fact. He received a sentence of 10 years, with all but four years suspended, to be served on home detention, followed by three years of supervised probation. Ford claimed that he was unaware of Poteat's intentions and was threatened into compliance.
