Joshua Ewing was a 26-year-old Black / African American man from Rockford, Illinois, described by his father as a "lovable son, brother, friend, but most importantly father." He lost his life to what his family called "tragic street violence" in early 2023.
On the morning of Wednesday, February 8, 2023, around 10:30 a.m., witnesses saw someone inside a white SUV shooting at Joshua’s car near the intersection of Chestnut and Winnebago Streets.
Despite being seriously wounded, Joshua managed to drive away before crashing his vehicle in a multi-vehicle collision near 1st Avenue and Charles Street. First responders discovered him at the crash scene suffering from a gunshot wound. He was rushed to a local hospital but did not survive his injuries. An autopsy later confirmed that he died from being shot.
Investigators with the Rockford Police Department found the white SUV abandoned near Delaware Street and Newport Avenue. They determined the vehicle had been reported stolen out of Chicago. The department's Gang Crime Unit took over the investigation and eventually identified three suspects in connection with Joshua’s death.
In February 2024, police charged two Rockford residents, 27-year-old Michael Blue and 27-year-old Dezha Manning, with first-degree murder. Both men were already being held in the Winnebago County Jail on unrelated charges at the time. A third man, 25-year-old Marcus Copeland Jr., was also charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and aggravated discharge of a firearm for his alleged role in the shooting.
In March 2024, Marcus Copeland Jr. pleaded not guilty to the charges. Following a hearing, a judge ordered Copeland released from custody pending his trial under the state's Pretrial Fairness Act. The judge found there was probable cause for his arrest but ruled that prosecutors had not presented the "clear and convincing" evidence required by the act to detain him. His release came with conditions, including electronic monitoring and orders to have no contact with his co-defendants or the Ewing family. The other two defendants, Michael Blue and Dezha Manning, were ordered to remain in custody. As of March 2024, the cases against the three men were proceeding through the court system.
