In the early morning hours of Sunday, September 18, 2011, a night of celebration turned tragic for 24-year-old Deshone Marquez-Jones, a Black male from Denver, Colorado. He had been out with three friends at the Rockstar Lounge, located in the vicinity of 10th Avenue and Lincoln Street, celebrating a mutual friend's birthday. Shortly before 2 a.m., as the group was walking to their car two blocks away, they became embroiled in an argument with a large group of 20 to 30 other men near the
intersection of 9th and Lincoln.
The confrontation quickly escalated from a verbal dispute to a physical altercation in a nearby parking lot. Marquez-Jones and his friends attempted to disengage and leave the scene, but they were pursued down an alley. As the chase spilled onto the sidewalk near their vehicle, a single gunshot rang out, striking Marquez-Jones in the head. He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition. His family was faced with the devastating decision to remove him from life support, and he was pronounced dead at approximately 11:45 a.m. that same day.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, Denver police arrested two individuals, but they were later released, and the homicide case remains unsolved. Investigators believe that due to the large number of people involved in the altercation, there were likely many witnesses to the shooting. Despite appeals to the public for information, the person or persons responsible for Deshone Marquez-Jones's death have not been identified or apprehended. At the time of his death, Marquez-Jones was a father to a 10-month-old daughter and was working two jobs to support his family. His case is now considered a cold case, and the Denver Police Department continues to seek any information that may lead to a resolution.
