A King County Superior Court judge sentenced 22-year-old Marcel L. Long to 14 years in prison for the shooting and killing of 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson about three years ago inside the Capitol Hill Organized Protest (CHOP) area. The shooting left a family bereft of a beloved son, led to lawsuits against the City, and prompted criticisms of the safety inside CHOP as well as the actions of first responders.
The sentencing came after Long pleaded guilty in May to second-degree murder for the killing of Anderson.
At the time of the shooting, then-Seattle Police Chief Carmen Best said a âhostile crowdâ prevented first responders from providing medical care to Anderson, though Mayor Bruce Harrell discredited Bestâs statements in a letter earlier this month, saying an Office of Police Accountability investigation found Bestâs comments to be a âmisleading account of what had occurred.â The City later paid $500,000 to settle a wrongful death lawsuit filed by Andersonâs father, who claimed his son might have lived had police and medics responded faster to the shooting.
After the shooting, Long evaded police for almost a year before law enforcement arrested him in July 2021. With no prior convictions, and because Long was just 18 years old at the time of the shooting, prosecutors and Longâs defense team agreed to a prison sentence in about the middle of the sentencing range. The judge gave Long credit for time servedâabout two years in King County Jailâmeaning he faces about another 12 years of incarceration, followed by three years of community supervision.Â
After Andersonâs uncle and sister spoke during the sentencing hearing, the emotional hearing led to King County Superior Court Judge Karen Donohue removing Long from the courtroom for about five minutes, according to courtroom minutes. Many members of Andersonâs family attended the hearing as well as Longâs father and uncle, who both gave statements on Longâs behalf. Longâs defense attorney also read a statement from Long to the courtroom.
In a court document where Long asked Judge Donohue to follow the plea agreement, he apologized to Anderson and his family.
âIâm truly apologetic and remorseful to his loved ones and his family for the loss of Lorenzo and the pain [and] suffering they have to endure.â