The tragic shooting at The Galleria parking garage has taken an unexpected turn, as the suspect accused of murdering Marine veteran Anthony Sanders allegedly lured the victim out of his vehicle with a brake-check maneuver. According to ABC13, investigators reported that on June 3, Sanders, accompanied by his fiancée and 10-month-old son, was brake-checked by Marko Cinan, the 23-year-old now charged with Sanders’ murder.
The confrontation between Cinan and Sanders reportedly began when Cinan approached Sanders' fiancée and called her a derogatory term, leading Sanders to defend her. Both men, initially appearing to part ways, entered their vehicles, but Cinan then commenced to brake-check Sanders, prompting him to exit his car. It was then that, police said, Cinan opened fire, discharging close to 10 rounds. Some shots were fired from within the suspect’s vehicle, damaging the car’s back window. Cinan, along with two other men, were detained shortly after the shooting when police pulled over the black Chrysler 300. Though they were initially released, Cinan was later arrested and charged with murder, as noted by KHOU.
In response to the shooting, Sanders' parents have declared their intention to follow each court proceeding closely. "We’re here for justice, justice for Anthony and also to stand for what he stood for as a person, and also to bring awareness to what’s going on in today’s society here in Houston. This was uncalled for," Frank Sanders, Anthony’s father, told KHOU. The family remembers Anthony Sanders as being on a promising path, actively participating in church and looking forward to marrying the mother of his child.
Meanwhile, Cinan's bond was set at $1 million, despite his court-appointed attorney requesting it be lowered to $70,000. "He would have access to reliable transportation," Tanesha Arline, the defense attorney, argued in court. However, the judge expressed concern for public safety given the incident's location – a busy mall – and ultimately decided against reducing the bond. In addition to the hefty bond, should Cinan be released, he is ordered to be put under house arrest with a GPS monitoring bracelet and prohibited from contacting the victim's family or possessing firearms or drugs, as reported by ABC13.
With the suspect's court date delayed, the pursuit of justice for Anthony Sanders continues amid community sorrow and an all-too-familiar narrative of violence in public spaces. Houston Police Department has mentioned that further arrests in connection to the case may be impending, and that Cinan's criminal history prior already includes a drug charge and an auto burglary offense.
