Maurice Oliver Chase Jr.

Maurice Oliver Chase Jr. was a 38-year-old father of two who worked as an off-duty security guard and was remembered by loved ones as caring, loyal, and a friend to all. The Black man’s life was cut short in a violent confrontation in Takoma Park, Maryland, in the winter of 2023.

In the early morning hours of February 20, 2023, Chase was leaving the Takoma Towers apartment building on New Hampshire Avenue. He was on his way to help his fiancée, whose car had broken down nearby. Before he could leave, a resident alerted him to a man in the first-floor commons area who appeared to be smoking crack cocaine. The man was later identified as Luiz Marquez.

Chase, acting in his capacity as a security guard, told Marquez to leave the property. The encounter quickly escalated when Marquez tried to enter an apartment and then spit on Chase. After Chase struck Marquez in the mouth, Marquez left the building. As Chase stood in the doorway, Marquez pulled out a gun and fired seven shots, striking him.

Police responded to a call for a shooting in the 6700 block of New Hampshire Avenue at approximately 12:40 a.m. They found Chase inside the apartment building suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a nearby hospital, where he died several hours later.

The investigation moved swiftly. Detectives identified Luiz Marquez as the suspect and arrested him just eight hours after the shooting. Police said that in the time between the murder and his arrest, Marquez had also robbed a Walgreens near the apartment building.

Marquez, a 26-year-old from Silver Spring, was charged in connection with the killing. His case went to trial, and on March 27, 2024, a jury convicted him of second-degree murder and several other charges. As of his conviction, sentencing was scheduled for June 5, 2024.