Horace Lorenzo Anderson, a 19-year-old Black male, had just graduated from an alternative youth-education program the day before his life was cut short. On June 20, 2020, inside the self-declared autonomous area of Seattle known as the Capitol Hill Organized Protest zone, a long-standing feud would turn fatal. Anderson, who was described by family as having special needs, encountered Marcel Long, then 18, within the several-block area that had been established by protesters following the murder
of George Floyd. The two had a history of animosity reportedly stemming from a video of a fight Anderson had lost to Long that had been shared on social media.
Surveillance footage from that night captured the final moments of the confrontation. The video shows Anderson and Long exchanging words before Long produced a handgun. Anderson is seen walking away as others attempt to restrain Long, but Long broke free and pursued him. The footage then shows a fistfight before Long raised his arm and fired his weapon at a downward angle, striking Anderson multiple times. In the chaotic aftermath, first responders were delayed in reaching the scene. Police cited hostile crowds as a reason for being unable to enter the area, which also prevented medics from getting to Anderson. He was eventually transported to Harborview Medical Center in a private vehicle, but he died from his gunshot wounds.
Within a day of the shooting, Seattle police identified Marcel Long as the suspect, but he had already fled the state. For more than a year, Long remained a fugitive. In July 2021, members of the U.S. Marshals Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force located and arrested him in Des Moines, Washington, after he was found walking near an apartment complex. Initially charged with first-degree murder, Long later pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of second-degree murder in May 2023. He was subsequently sentenced to just over 14 years in prison. Anderson's death, and the delayed emergency response, led to lawsuits filed by his parents against the City of Seattle.
