Marcus Terrell Ross was a 17-year-old student at Mullins High School who was killed on the afternoon of February 8, 2023, in Mullins, South Carolina. Accounts presented in court say the encounter began inside Smith’s Grocery, where Marcus made a purchase at 3:47 p.m.; two minutes later another 17-year-old, Joseph Jones, entered. Marcus reportedly positioned himself near the exit and followed Jones after Jones completed his purchase.

Court documents say Marcus left an open backpack in which officers later found a can of mace and a large butcher knife. Once out of camera view, a physical fight broke out. The defense’s account states a gun fell from Jones’s bag during the struggle, both teens reached for it, the weapon discharged, and Marcus was fatally wounded at the scene. Jones surrendered and was charged with murder.

In November 2025, Circuit Court Judge William H. Seals dismissed the murder charge, finding Jones acted in legitimate self-defense and ruling Marcus’s aggression was the proximate cause of the shooting; the judge granted Jones immunity from further criminal or civil prosecution related to the death. Does anyone have information about Marcus’s final hours or knew him at Mullins High School?