VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Markal Cook, the 19-year-old man who was critically injured in the shooting outside the Mt. Trashmore carnival on May 25, has been charged with second-degree murder in the incident that left a 15-year-old girl dead.
Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate provided an update in the investigation on Thursday morning.
Before this incident, Cook was charged on multiple occasions with crimes involving illegal firearms, Neudigate said.
Watch: Full press conference with Virginia Beach Police Chief Paul Neudigate
"It's important that we look at his criminal history just in 2023 he was charged with obstructing and resisting arrest with force, he was sentenced to 12 months suspended..." Neudigate went on to list three previous firearms-related charges — all of which he said resulted in suspended sentences.
"Illegal weapon possession is the precursor to shooting violence," Neudigate said. "Had Mr. Cook been incarcerated on any of these previous charges, I think is quite likely that we don't have a dead 15-year-old child."
Neudigate went on to thank the Virginia Beach Police Department for its involvement that night.
He highlighted the things he witnessed on police body camera footage from that night, "watching a 15-year-old child perish in front of you while you are unable to provide any measurable life-saving means, that impacts us, that impacts our officers."
Norfolk Commonwealth's Attorney Ramin Fatehi responded to Neudigate's press conference by saying that three of the four charges listed were from a single incident. He said he and his team asked for a 30-day active sentence for the second concealed weapon conviction.
“We do not judge our performance by hindsight,” Fatehi said. “We did our jobs.”
When asked about his reaction to Neudigate's press conference, Fatehi said, "I was puzzled. Ordinarily, these press conferences are an opportunity for police to showcase their work."
Watch: Markal Cook, shot in Trashmore carnival incident, gives jailhouse interview
As News 3 has reported, police say the shooting was the result of a fight outside the carnival in a parking lot across the street.
Initially, police said the fight was a continuation of a fight that occurred inside the carnival and was broken up by law enforcement. Police later said, however, the fight inside the carnival and the fight that led to the shooting are not related.
Police have not formally identified the 15-year-old girl.
Prior to Thursday's charges, Cook was in jail in Virginia Beach charged with carrying a concealed weapon.
Watch: Police fed lies, misinformation in Trashmore carnival shooting investigation
Cook was taken to jail after being released from the hospital where he was treated for his gunshot injuries.
News 3 spoke to Cook's mother, who says her son had nothing to do with the shooting.
In the jailhouse interview, Cook said he is innocent and offered prayers for the 15-year-old's family.
"I was nothing more than an innocent bystander who was trying to desperately survive all the chaos that took place that day," Cook said.
Court documents showed Cook was recorded on video pulling out a gun when the shooting happened.
