On a cold January evening in Annapolis, Maryland, the life of 24-year-old Byren Cook, a Black male, was cut short by gunfire. The incident occurred on January 23, 2017, in the Harbour House community. Shortly before 8:30 p.m., reports of shots fired in the 1200 block of Madison Street brought Annapolis Police to the scene. They discovered Cook in the 1100 block of Madison Street, suffering from gunshot wounds.
He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but his injuries proved fatal.
As officers were administering first aid to Cook, they received a critical tip: the suspected shooter was inside a nearby apartment in the 1200 block of Madison Street. This information prompted detectives to secure a search warrant for the residence. Inside, they found several individuals, including 18-year-old Marique Jackson of Annapolis. Through their investigation, detectives identified Jackson as the person who had shot Cook.
During questioning, Jackson told investigators that he saw Cook carrying a shotgun as he was leaving the Harbor House complex and responded by firing a 9mm pistol he had on his person. Jackson admitted to firing several shots before fleeing the scene, uncertain if he had hit his target. Police recovered the suspected murder weapon and also found a gun in Cook's possession.
Marique Jackson was taken into custody and subsequently charged with first-degree murder and other related offenses. In addition to Jackson's arrest, a 15-year-old Annapolis girl was charged as a juvenile with being an accessory after the fact and obstructing justice; she was later released to a guardian. Authorities noted a possible connection between the shooting and the illegal drug trade. Court records indicated that Jackson had been charged with two misdemeanor counts of marijuana possession just weeks before the fatal shooting.
