VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — The 18-year-old who was shot at Mount Trashmore on May 25 and was arrested in connection to the incident there maintained his innocence in a jailhouse interview. His mother also said he is innocent.
Virginia Beach Police said 18-year-old Markal Cook was arrested May 29 and charged with unlawful carrying of a concealed weapon, third offense.
Cook’s next court date is Aug. 23 for a preliminary hearing.
Cook was one of two teens shot in the Saturday night shooting. The other was a 15-year-old girl who died at the hospital.
According to police, Cook was arrested as soon as he was released from the hospital.
The shooting remains under investigation.
Court documents state Cook was seen in a recorded video taking a pistol from a concealed location and then firing into a crowd.
Cook spoke with 10 on Your Side from jail Wednesday afternoon. He maintained his innocence, saying he never had a gun and even caught the other victim as she fell. He began by reading a prepared statement (included in full below).
“I was nothing but an innocent bystander who was trying desperately to survive amongst all the chaos that took place that day,” he read. “I hope justice will be served for the 16-year-old girl that sadly lost her life to senseless gun violence in our city. I also hope that the family will be able to give closure and peace.”
Police previously said they had received information intended to deceive them. Initially, they believed the shooting was related to a fight that occurred, but later said the two incidents had nothing to do with each other.
According to the sequence of events laid out by Cook, a fight did precede the shooting and appeared to be related. He described the fight as “just young kids doing young kid things.”
He said he heard approximately 10 shots.
When the shots got let off, the girl fell on me,” he said. “I didn’t want her head to, like, hit the ground. I holded her a little bit and shots was still getting let off. I put her down and I ran off and I realized that I was shot.”
Cook told us he was at Mount Trashmore to spend time with his girlfriend and cousin at the carnival.
The Lake Taylor High School student was denied bond Tuesday.
From the jail, he complained about having to recover from his wounds in the regular (general population) section of the facility. He described his pain level as a 7 out of 10 and said jail staff had only just started giving him medicine stronger than Tylenol to deal with it.
Cook has two previous charges for carrying a concealed weapon in Norfolk that date back to last summer.
His next court date is set for Aug. 23 in Virginia Beach. He also has a hearing on Aug. 25 related to the Norfolk charges.
Cook’s full statement:
[My lawyer] has advised me against answering any questions regarding this matter, but I would like to send my regards to the family going through this traumatic event. Also, [as] one of the individuals, I mean, victims that suffered a traumatic injury from that day. I have been treated like a suspect in this matter, although I’m not being charged with the shooting at hand. And a lot of questions have been raised regarding [my] involvement in the situation. I was nothing but an innocent bystander who was trying desperately to survive amongst all the chaos that took place that day. I hope justice will be served for the 16 year old girl that sadly lost her life to senseless gun violence in our city. I also hope that the family will be able to give closure and peace. I can’t imagine that type of pain they are burdened with. I appreciate y’all for hearing my side of the story and thank you for your time.
10 On Your Side also spoke with Cook’s mom, Synora Cook. She also told us her son is innocent and did not have a gun on him the night of the shooting. She said she was with her son at Sky Zone earlier that evening and they shared a locker. She did not see a gun on him nor know where he could’ve hidden one.
“He’s a victim. Not really a suspect so I just don’t understand why he’s incarcerated or detained at this time,” Synora Cook stated.
Continue to check WAVY.com for updates.