In the late summer of 2018, the life of 20-year-old Breonna T. Patterson, an African-American woman, was tragically cut short in her Newport News, Virginia apartment. In the early morning hours of August 29th, a neighbor at the City Line Apartments on Mytilene Drive was startled by the sound of gunshots and promptly alerted the authorities. When police arrived at approximately 3:59 a.m., they discovered the door to Patterson's apartment was unlocked.
Inside, they found the young mother suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Despite the immediate response from medics, Breonna Patterson was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into her violent death moved swiftly. Within days, law enforcement identified a suspect who was known to the victim: 25-year-old Markeis Lamar Parks of Newport News. Considered armed and dangerous, the apprehension of Parks involved the deployment of a Tactical Operations Unit. On the evening of September 4th, after a standoff that lasted more than seven hours at a residence on Briarfield Road in Hampton, Parks surrendered to authorities without further incident.
Following his arrest, Markeis Lamar Parks was charged with a slate of serious offenses, including first-degree murder, possession of a firearm by a felon, and the use of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Court documents revealed that a witness reported hearing an argument between Parks and Patterson on the morning of the shooting, alleging that Parks began firing in her direction while she was on the floor. Despite the charges and the witness account, Parks publicly maintained his innocence. In an interview from jail, he claimed he did not commit the crime and expressed sorrow for what had happened to Patterson, whom he described as 'cool.' He stated that he was at home with his girlfriend at the time of the shooting and was shocked by his arrest. The case then moved into the judicial system for legal proceedings to unfold.
