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U.S. Marshals, Seattle Police Arrest Suspected Shooter in June 2020 Seattle ‘CHOP Zone’ Killing

Marisa SarnoffJul 14th, 2021, 8:23 am
 

Marcel Long

Officials in Washington state have arrested a suspect in the June 2020 killing of 19-year-old Lorenzo Anderson, a special needs teenager, in Seattle’s notorious “CHOP Zone,” after being wanted by authorities for more than a year.

Marcel Long, 19, was arrested Monday for first-degree murder, the Marshals Service announced in a statement. The arrest was made by members of the Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force, which is made up of deputy U.S. Marshals and other federal, state, and local law enforcement, including the Seattle Police Department.

“Long, who was wanted by the Seattle Police Department for a shooting death that occurred near the Seattle Capitol Hill Occupied Protest “CHOP” Zone in June of 2020, was arrested while walking along S. 216th Street near 14th Avenue S. in Des Moines, Washington,” the U.S. Marshals statement said. “During the investigation, members of the [Pacific Northwest Violent Offender Task Force] developed information that Long was staying at an apartment complex nearby. Law Enforcement identified Long, and after a brief foot chase occurred, he was taken into custody and transported to the Seattle Police Department.”

The Seattle Police Department confirmed the arrest on Twitter.

According to King County court records, Long is being held on $2 million bail. He was booked for first-degree murder on Monday.

Attorney Evan Oshan, who represents Anderson’s estate and family members, told Law&Crime that while his clients are grateful for the arrest, it is also just the start of holding people accountable for Anderson’s death.

“First, we are grateful for the fine job that the U.S. Marshals did on bringing in the suspect,” Oshan said Tuesday. “However, we do not believe justice will be served until those who are behind the establishment of the CHOP Zone, which essentially caused a reign of terror to occur upon Seattle in 2020, are brought to justice. We hold the Seattle city council, Mayor Jenny Durkan, the EMT, and other governmental entities responsible for allowing Lorenzo to bleed out and die.”

“A Black special needs teenager lost his life on June 20, 2020, because of the negligent and incompetent actions and inactions of the city of Seattle, County of King, and the state of Washington,” Oshan told Law&Crime. “Lorenzo was let down in both life and death by these entities.”

Oshan said that at the time Anderson was shot, his initial gunshot wounds were not fatal, but police refused to give clearance for an EMT to go into the CHOP Zone to treat him.

“He bled out,” Oshan said. “He could have been saved.”

Seattle’s CHOP Zone was a self-declared autonomous area of Seattle that covered several blocks of the city during racial justice protests following the murder of George Floyd by former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. Durkan, the mayor of Seattle, issued an order on June 30, 2020, that eventually led to the zone being shut down.

Des Moines, where Long was arrested, is about 20 miles away from the CHOP Zone.

“It’s strange that it took over a year to pick Long up,” Oshan said. “It took U.S. Marshals to bring in a local criminal suspect wanted for a highly-publicized first-degree murder, where they had photos and videos of the suspect. It just seems that there’s a major failure in the system right now, and that’s concerning to me.”

Oshan also represents Lorenzo Anderson’s father, Horace Anderson, who was recently injured during a daytime shooting incident in Seattle.

Anderson, 51, was shot in the face on June 11, 2021, and two other men were killed in the shooting.

“Horace is having a tough time,” Oshan told Law&Crime. “He is recovering, but he’s also very broken up over his son still.”

[Image via Seattle Police]

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