Man pleads guilty to murder of Lorenzo Anderson in CHOP
May 5, 2023, 7:32 AM | Updated: 9:38 am
Donnitta Sinclair-Martin, mother of Horace Lorenzo Anderson, poses with a portrait of her son from about 10 years ago during a rally for peace in memory of Anderson on July 2, 2020, in Seattle. (Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
(Photo by David Ryder/Getty Images)
The man accused of killing Lorenzo Anderson at the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) during the Black Lives Matter protests of 2020 pled guilty Thursday to second-degree murder charges.
Horace Lorenzo Anderson was shot multiple times early on June 20, 2020. He was taken to Harborview Medical Center where he later died.
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Police said they responded to the scene after reports of gunshots in the area. Seattle Police said officers tried to find a shooting victim but were met by a violent crowd that prevented them from safe access to the victims. They were later informed that CHOP medics took Anderson and another victim to Harborview.
According to charging documents, Marcel Long was seen on surveillance video approaching Anderson and pulling out a gun. He is then seen chasing Anderson – who ran away – and appears to shoot him.
King County Prosecutors said they believe this plea deal holds the man, Marcel Long, accountable for the death of Anderson.
The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office released a statement that read, “There is never a guarantee of what a jury will do, even in a case such as this one. Today’s guilty plea and the upcoming sentencing ensure that Mr. Long will have clear accountability for this murder conviction.”
However, Anderson’s parents, Horace Anderson, and Donnitta Sinclair Martin, said they wanted this to go to trial.
“It didn’t matter what we said, they were going to do this, they were going to give this plea bargain to this guy,” Horace said.
Anderson’s parents said this is not the justice their son deserves.
“He had a big heart, a big sense of humor, and his family — we really, really miss Lorenzo,” Donnitta said. “[Long] took somebody’s life, he took someone that was valuable and precious to us.”
Long will be sentenced June 30 at 1 p.m.
The City of Seattle settled a wrongful death lawsuit with Horatio Anderson, Lorenzo’s father, paying him $500,000 in June. The lawsuit claimed that Anderson would have survived his gunshot wound if he had been able to receive immediate, professional medical attention.
Donnitta Sinclair, the mother of Horace Lorenzo Anderson, also filed a lawsuit claiming the city’s decision to abandon the Seattle Police Department’s East Precinct invited “lawlessness and … a foreseeable danger” that led to the death of her 19-year-old son. The lawsuit was dismissed, though, with the judge saying Sinclair failed to prove that the city knew something was going to happen at CHOP.
