In the early morning hours of March 30, 2021, a compassionate act cost a young man his life. Marcus Golden, a 28-year-old Black male, was at his home in the Mosaic Hills Apartments on Kent's East Hill when the sounds of a heated argument from a neighboring apartment broke the stillness of the night. Worried by the sounds of a woman screaming and crying, Golden decided to investigate the disturbance.
It was a decision that would prove fatal, as he was shot and killed in the stairwell of the apartment building.
Kent Police officers were dispatched to the scene after receiving a 911 call about a verbal domestic dispute. Before they could arrive, another call came in reporting that shots had been fired and a person had been shot. When officers arrived, they found Marcus Golden in the stairwell with a gunshot wound to his chest. Despite attempts to render aid, he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. The suspect had already fled on foot, prompting a K-9 unit to be called in for a search, but the perpetrator was not found that night.
The investigation quickly pointed to a man who was known to the woman involved in the initial dispute. Witnesses indicated that Golden and the man he encountered knew each other. According to Golden’s roommate, they had heard fighting from the apartment above them before, and this time Golden went to intervene. The roommate followed and reported that he was pushed back down the stairs just before the suspect, identified as Darian Dion Downing, allegedly pulled out a gun and shot Golden.
On April 13, 2021, Kent Police arrested 27-year-old Darian Dion Downing in connection with the shooting. He was subsequently charged with second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. Downing remained in custody with bail set at $3 million. The case proceeded to trial, where the narrative of events was contested. Downing’s defense argued that he acted in self-defense. They alleged that Golden had armed himself with brass knuckles and a tire plug insertion tool and was the aggressor during the confrontation.
In January 2023, after deliberating for just over three hours, a King County jury found Darian Dion Downing not guilty of murder, agreeing that he had acted in self-defense. Having spent nearly two years in jail, Downing was acquitted of all charges. The jury's verdict concluded the legal proceedings surrounding the tragic death of Marcus Golden, leaving his family and community to mourn the loss of a man who was described as a hero who died trying to help others.
