A Montgomery County jury convicted a 23-year-old defendant of first-degree murder, attempted first-degree murder, firearm offenses, and reckless endangerment for a 2023 shooting on a Metrobus that resulted in one death and endangered multiple passengers.
According to the Montgomery County State’s Attorney’s Office, “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, before the Honorable Christopher Fogleman, a jury convicted defendant Trevon Hatcherson-Ross, 23, of unknown address, on charges of first-degree murder for the death of 19-year-old Justice Elliott, attempted first-degree murder for the shooting of a second victim, two counts of use of a firearm in commission of a violent crime, and reckless endangerment for firing gunshots on an occupied metrobus.
Hatcherson-Ross faces the potential of two life sentences plus an additional 45 years in prison. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 20, 2025, at 8:30 a.m.
This stems from an incident on February 17, 2023. The victims boarded a Metro Transit bus at a stop on Lockwood Drive. Further along the route, at another stop along Lockwood Drive, in Silver Spring, surveillance video shows the defendant peer into the bus in the direction of the victims. The defendant, wearing a balaclava-style mask, then enters the bus and walks toward the victims. He shoots Elliott. Elliott produces a handgun and fires back at the defendant. The defendant then points his gun at the second victim and attempts to fire a shot. The firearm malfunctions at this point, but then the defendant racks the handgun and fires another shot in the direction of the second victim. There were multiple other passengers in the area at the time. Hatcherson-Ross then moved toward the front of the bus and exited. Elliott was pronounced dead at the scene.
Assistant State’s Attorneys Kimberly Cissel and Jennifer Harrison are prosecuting this case.
“This level of brazen and senseless violence on public transportation cannot be tolerated. We are thankful that justice has prevailed, and the defendant will be held fully accountable,” said State’s Attorney John McCarthy.
