On a tragic evening in Aurora, Colorado, on August 31, 2018, a dispute that began over something as minor as wall stickers escalated into a violent outburst that claimed the life of 26-year-old Anthoni Readus. Readus, a Black male, found himself in the middle of a chaotic and dangerous situation that ultimately cost him his life.
The incident began when D'Marcus Jones-Brown, 31, became enraged with his wife and 8-year-old stepson over stickers they had placed on a wall in their
apartment. His anger quickly spiraled out of control, leading to a physical altercation. The wife and her son managed to escape the apartment and called for help. The situation spilled out into an alley where Readus and another man, Wayne Carter, were present. Jones-Brown, armed with a handgun, opened fire, striking multiple people. Anthoni Readus and Wayne Carter, who was 19, were both fatally wounded in the gunfire. An 8-year-old boy was also injured in the shooting.
An Aurora police officer, Jason Sweeney, who was nearby and heard the gunshots, rushed to the scene. He was met with gunfire from Jones-Brown and was struck in his ballistic vest. Officer Sweeney returned fire, hitting Jones-Brown multiple times. Despite their injuries, both the officer and the suspect survived.
D'Marcus Jones-Brown was arrested and faced a total of 22 charges, including murder and attempted murder. In May 2021, a jury found him guilty on nine of those counts, which included two counts of second-degree murder for the deaths of Anthoni Readus and Wayne Carter. For his crimes, Jones-Brown was sentenced to 80 years in prison on September 16, 2021, bringing a measure of justice to the families of the victims. The district attorney described the senseless act of violence as one of the most brutal he had ever encountered in his career.
