In the late hours of a Monday night, tragedy struck in District Heights, Maryland, forever altering the lives of a Washington D.C. family. On July 15, 2019, 30-year-old Ernest Bowman II, a Black male, was found lying unresponsive on a sidewalk in the 8800 block of Ritchboro Road. Prince George's County police officers, responding to a report of a shooting at approximately 10:30 p.m., discovered Bowman suffering from a gunshot wound.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Investigators from the Homicide Unit quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence. Their investigation pointed to an argument between Bowman and an acquaintance that escalated to a fatal confrontation. This conclusion led detectives to identify a suspect in the killing. The community was left to mourn a man remembered by his loved ones as an energetic, kind, and loving son, brother, and father.
The investigation led to the arrest of 28-year-old Marquis Gilliard of District Heights. Gilliard was charged with the fatal shooting of Ernest Bowman II. He was apprehended in Philadelphia and awaited extradition back to Prince George's County to face the charges against him. While the specific motive behind the argument was not publicly disclosed, the arrest marked a significant step towards justice for Bowman and his grieving family.
