In the early morning hours of July 1, 2017, a young woman named Che'Reonna Thomas was riding as a passenger in a car with her boyfriend through the Brighton neighborhood of South Seattle. Suddenly, their vehicle was caught in the middle of a terrifying drive-by shooting. Witnesses reported seeing at least two cars speeding down the 4500 block of South Willow Street, with occupants possibly exchanging gunfire. Amid the chaos, a bullet struck the 19-year-old in the head.
She was rushed to Harborview Medical Center with life-threatening injuries, just days before her twentieth birthday.
For a brief period, there was a glimmer of hope as Che'Reonna's condition seemed to improve. Her family shared that she was able to breathe on her own in mid-July, and she even celebrated her birthday in the hospital. However, her health took a turn for the worse, and she was readmitted to the intensive care unit. On August 7, 2017, after bravely fighting for over a month, Che'Reonna succumbed to her injuries. Her death was officially ruled a homicide by the King County Medical Examiner's office.
The Seattle Police Department's Gang Unit launched an extensive investigation into the shooting, believing that Che'Reonna was an unintended victim of a gang-related conflict. Detectives pieced together evidence from witness statements, surveillance footage, and cell phone metadata. Their investigation led them to three suspects: Jerrod Victor Marks, Deautre D. Dorsey, and Dwayne Carlos Morris Jr. Court documents revealed that the suspects had been following the car Che'Reonna was in and fired multiple shots at it.
After a lengthy investigation, prosecutors filed charges against the three men for second-degree murder and unlawful possession of a firearm. At the time the charges were filed in July 2020, all three suspects were already incarcerated for other gun-related crimes. Investigators learned that after the shooting, the suspects were seen at a nearby park, where they took photos, smiled, and flashed gang signs with their weapons.
