‘It Was Miserable,’ Says Victim of Mass Shooting Ordeal

By Sofia Feigelson [former] , Sonia Vazquez [former] - July 5, 2024
Court | Daily Stories | Homicides | Shooting | Suspects | Victims |

A victim of a mass shooting who was wounded in the face, required jaw reconstruction surgery and a feeding tube to survive, testified in front of DC Superior Court Judge Robert Okun on July 3.

Mark Price, 29, and Antonio Murchison, 31, are charged with first-degree murder while armed, five counts of assault with intent to kill while armed, aggravated assault knowingly while armed, seven counts of possession of a firearm during a crime of violence, conspiracy, and seven counts of criminal gang affiliation.

The charges stem from their alleged involvement in a mass shooting on July 16, 2018, on the 5300 block of 53rd Street, NE in the Clay Terrace neighborhood. The incident left 10-year-old Makiyah Wilson dead and four other individuals with gunshot wounds.

The third co-defendant, Quanisha Ramsuer, 31, is charged with obstruction of justice in connection to the homicide.

At the hearing, the prosecution called a victim who recalled the events and the aftermath of being shot once in the face and twice in the leg.

The victim stated that he was a longstanding resident of Clay Terrace and was on the front porch of Wilson’s home, who was friends with his daughter, when the shooting occurred. He stated Wilson, Wilson’s oldest sister, and men were also there.

“Of course when I saw Makiyah, I’m not trying to stand right there, I’m trying to go,” said the victim in reference to the gravity of Wilson’s state in the midst of the shooting.

He recalled hearing gunshots and shortly after falling face down to the ground. 

“I thought I was dead,” stated the victim when referring to a “white sheet” being placed over him while he was on the ground. He remembered a girl holding his hand and saying he was alive but not able to talk and barely able to breathe with blood coming out with every breath.

When describing difficulty breathing and the pain he experienced, he stated, “It was miserable.”

“I didn’t even know where I was shot at. I thought I was shot in the head,” said the victim.

Following the shooting, the victim testified he remembered waking up at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center with tubes down his nose and throat, stating that he arrived by helicopter after being admitted to another hospital, but admitted he did not remember the events.

As a result of his injuries, his jaw was reconstructed, his whole bottom row of teeth were gone, and he had to receive dental implants in replacement.

He also stated that due to the severity of his injuries, the recovery process took months including physical therapy and relearning how to talk.

When questioned by the prosecution about scarring from the gunshots, the victim stated that he had scars on his lower face and neck area, admitting, “I usually let [my beard] grow out more because I don’t like to see the scars.”

Prosecutors showed photographs of the victim’s raw and untreated injuries pre-surgery, including the victim’s bloody face and wounds to his leg.

After the victim testified, the prosecution called a maxillofacial surgeon who did head and neck reconstruction on the victim.

The surgeon stated the victim sustained a gunshot wound that went through his cheek and lower jaw, which resulted in the shattering of his lower jaw bone, splitting of his lip, displacement of his teeth, and freezing his tongue to the bottom of his mouth.

According to the surgeon, based on her experience treating gunshot-wounded victims, it was likely a larger caliber bullet fired at a higher velocity due to the scale of the victim’s injuries.

The surgeon stated she performed multiple complex procedures, including a tracheostomy to put a breathing tube in his neck.

During one surgery, she borrowed a portion of the victim’s leg bone to create a part of his new jaw, to aid in rebuilding the floor of his mouth.

According to the surgeon, if the victim’s jaw was not reconstructed and he did not undergo additional surgical repairs, his speech and ability to swallow would be severely affected and he would be dependent on a feeding tube.

The prosecution called additional witnesses who testified about a Dec. 22, 2017 shooting incident that occurred near the intersection of 53rd and E Street, SE, during which Price allegedly sustained a gunshot wound to the foot. 

Photographs taken of Price at a hospital lying in a bed on that day with a bloody face were presented to the jury.

A former Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) officer testified he arrived at the residence where Price was on a couch on Dec. 22, 2017. According to the officer, Price sustained bloody injuries to his foot and face. However, the officer testified that Price told him he fell. 

The prosecution played the officer’s body-worn camera footage which showed an individual, identified as Price, lying on a couch inside a home with injuries to his foot and face.

Additionally, the prosecution brought a person to the stand who testified about a shooting on Dec. 22.

He described a “loud crash” while he was at his home, and observed an individual with an electric scooter on the ground in front of a fence. According to the witness, the individual was attempting to pick the scooter up from the ground.

Subsequently, the bystander said he saw a vehicle approach the individual with the scooter and an individual inside the car “immediately” start firing at the individual with the scooter.

According to the witness, there were three individuals who fired shots, and as several shots were fired, the intended victim ran away from the scene.

The trial is scheduled to resume on July 8.