Marquis Lopez Jr., a 20-year-old Black / African American male from Wilmington, Delaware, was killed in the early morning hours of October 17, 2021, after gunfire broke out near West 3rd and North Clayton Streets. Police were called to the area around 2:00 a.m. and found him suffering from a gunshot wound, with early reports stating he had been shot in the head.
He was taken for medical care, but he later died from his injuries.
The shooting became part of Wilmington's continuing gun violence crisis in 2021. At the time, police released limited information publicly, and early reports said no arrests had been made and no motive had been disclosed. Lopez's death was later remembered as a fatal shooting tied to the 1500 block of West 3rd Street, where investigators said he had been walking before the encounter that ended his life.
The case remained under investigation for years before Wilmington police developed Michael Samuel “Pacho” Bernier as the suspect. Investigators later said Bernier and Lopez had been involved in a dispute over money connected to a drug transaction. Surveillance footage from a nearby business reportedly showed Bernier leaving a nearby bar, driving up to Lopez in a silver Cadillac CTS, and firing multiple shots before fleeing.
In December 2024, after the case was presented to a New Castle County grand jury, Bernier was indicted in connection with Lopez's death. At the time, Bernier was already in custody in Philadelphia on another matter. Wilmington police arrested him, and he was charged with First-Degree Murder and Possession of a Firearm During the Commission of a Felony. He was arraigned in Justice of the Peace Court 20 and held at Howard R. Young Correctional Institution on $1,000,000 cash-only bail.
The case later resulted in a conviction. Bernier was convicted in New Castle County Superior Court of Murder Second Degree. On December 18, 2025, he was sentenced to 18 years of incarceration for his role in the killing. Delaware prosecutors described the case as one shaped by the damage caused by the drug trade, while crediting the Wilmington Police Department and trial team for bringing the prosecution forward after years of investigation.
