On the evening of March 19, 2022, a 29-year-old man named Jordan Brown was nearing the end of his shift at World of Weed, a cannabis dispensary on East Portland Avenue in Tacoma, Washington. He had spent a pleasant day with his father, shopping for a car and reminiscing in their old neighborhood. His father dropped him off at work, not knowing it would be the last time he would see his son alive.
That night, two teenagers, 16-year-old Montrell Hatfield and 15-year-old Marshon Jones, entered the dispensary with the intent to rob it. This was the culmination of a string of armed robberies the pair had been committing across Pierce and King counties.
Inside the store, the situation quickly escalated. Hatfield fired a warning shot into the ceiling and demanded money. When Jordan Brown resisted, a physical altercation ensued between him and Hatfield. As they struggled, Marshon Jones fired a single shot, striking Jordan in the neck. The two teenagers then fled the scene along with a third unidentified individual who had been acting as a lookout. First responders arrived and attempted to save Jordan's life, but his injury was too severe. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Jordan's murder led police to Hatfield and Jones. The two had been on house arrest for a previous robbery but had cut off their ankle monitors just days before the fatal shooting. Surveillance footage from the dispensary and other robberies helped to identify them. The teenagers were eventually apprehended and charged with first-degree murder and multiple counts of first-degree robbery.
In February 2024, both Montrell Hatfield, then 18, and Marshon Jones, then 17, pleaded guilty to the charges against them. They were each sentenced to 25 years in state custody. During the sentencing, Jordan Brown's family spoke of their profound loss, remembering him as a talented artist and musician with a love for anime. His death left a void in the lives of his family and friends, a tragic end to a life full of promise.
