Maryland Man Convicted In Deadly DC Gang Murder
One wrong walk home turned into a death sentence.
A Maryland man was among four members of a violent Southeast Washington street crew convicted Monday, Aug. 3, for running an armed drug operation that used machine guns to defend territory and ultimately gunned down an innocent bystander, federal prosecutors said.
Markquette Rajon Cowan, 27, of Maryland, was found guilty alongside Washington, DC residents Christopher Jordan Broady, 26; Joshua Nicholas Stephenson, 25; and Larry Duncan, 35, following a four-week trial in US District Court.
Prosecutors said the men belonged to the “Push Dat Sh*t,” or PDS, street crew, which operated an open-air marijuana and oxycodone market around the Holiday Market in the Congress Heights neighborhood of Southeast DC beginning in 2018.
According to evidence presented at trial, the crew armed itself with firearms, including privately made “ghost guns” and machine guns, to protect its drug territory and wage retaliatory attacks against rival crews.
The violence reached a tragic peak on May 9, 2019.
Prosecutors said Duncan, identified as a PDS leader, supplied a vehicle and asked for volunteers to “spin the block,” gang slang for driving into rival territory to carry out a shooting.
Stephenson drove while Cowan and Broady searched for a target.
Instead, prosecutors said, they found 27-year-old Mark Milline Jr., who was simply walking down the street looking at his phone.
Investigators said Cowan and Broady jumped from the car and opened fire. After Milline collapsed, Broady allegedly chased him down and fired several more shots while standing over him.
Milline, who had no gang affiliation, was struck 13 times with RIP ammunition and died at the scene.
Evidence at trial showed PDS members kept score against rival gangs based on who was wounded or killed during shootings. The organization also used coded language, referring to ammunition as “eggs” and firearms as “dogs,” “irons,” and “joints,” to conceal their activities.
The investigation stretched for years.
In September 2025, authorities said Duncan was arrested with approximately 38 pounds of marijuana, $72,000 in cash, and a firearm equipped with a machine gun conversion device.
The broader federal investigation has now resulted in 30 convictions and the seizure of:
47 firearms, including six machine guns;
More than 100 pounds of marijuana;
More than 1,500 rounds of ammunition;
41 grams of cocaine base;
Dozens of oxycodone pills; and
Approximately $581,000 in cash.
Charges include:
Markquette Cowan
Drug trafficking conspiracy;
Firearms conspiracy;
First-degree murder while armed;
Causing death during a drug trafficking offense;
Related firearms and drug distribution offenses.
Christopher Broady
Drug trafficking conspiracy;
Firearms conspiracy;
First-degree murder while armed;
Causing death during a drug trafficking offense;
Related firearms and drug distribution offenses.
Joshua Stephenson
Drug trafficking conspiracy;
Firearms conspiracy;
First-degree murder while armed;
Causing death during a drug trafficking offense;
Carrying a pistol without a license;
Multiple armed marijuana distribution offenses.
Larry Duncan
Drug trafficking conspiracy;
Firearms conspiracy;
First-degree murder while armed;
Causing death during a drug trafficking offense;
Oossessing a machine gun in furtherance of drug trafficking.
Each faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for the murder convictions and could receive life in prison.
Sentencing is scheduled for Nov. 13 through Dec. 4 before US District Judge Amy Berman Jackson.