A violent dispute at a Silver Spring restaurant ended with the death of 34-year-old Marvin Jefferson on November 4, 2023. Police say an argument inside America’s Best Wings at the White Oak Shopping Center spilled outside, where shots were fired. Jefferson was found suffering gunshot wounds around 5:50 p.m., taken to a hospital and pronounced dead; a second man was also shot, hospitalized in critical condition and later released.

Investigators linked the shooting to a retaliatory dispute that began a week earlier, when Jefferson reportedly punched 33-year-old Markus Tyrell Dowdy outside a liquor store. Surveillance from the restaurant and cellphone video from the prior altercation were used to identify Dowdy as the suspect. Dowdy was arrested on December 2, 2023, and charged with second-degree murder, first-degree assault and multiple firearms offenses. Trial evidence described Dowdy chasing Jefferson, firing multiple shots and pistol-whipping him after he fell.

Anyone who witnessed the events at the White Oak Shopping Center that evening or who has information about the earlier dispute is asked to come forward.