In the afternoon of March 16, 2021, a burst of gunfire shattered the ordinary sounds of Hull Street Road in Richmond, Virginia. Concerned citizens alerted the Richmond Police Department to the sound of random shots in the 5700 block of the street at approximately 1:47 p.m. Officers were dispatched to the scene, but upon their arrival, they found no victim, leaving the initial reports shrouded in uncertainty.
A short time later, at around 1:58 p.m., the grim reality of the earlier gunfire
became apparent. A private vehicle arrived at a local hospital carrying 22-year-old Marquez T. Warden. He was suffering from a gunshot wound. Medical personnel attended to him, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he succumbed to them at the hospital. Investigators later confirmed that Warden, a Black / African American male, had been in the area of Hull Street Road where the random gunfire was reported. The Medical Examiner's office officially determined his cause of death to be a homicide resulting from the gunshot wound.
In the wake of his death, the Richmond Police Department's Major Crimes detectives launched a homicide investigation. They appealed to the public for any information that could lead to the identification of those responsible for the shooting. Despite their efforts and public appeals for witnesses to come forward, no arrests have been made in connection with the death of Marquez Warden. The case remains an open and ongoing investigation, leaving his family and community awaiting answers and justice.
