Howard student arrested, charged with murder

WASHINGTON D.C. – A Washington, D.C. jail cell is the last place many would think jazz pianist and former Howard soccer player Arlen Garrett would spend time.
However, after a recent arrest linked to a Feb. 29 fatal shooting in the University Town Center (UTC), Garrett and another suspect, Mashelleck Ellis, 18, are locked up.
“Honestly, it was a shock and I’m praying to God that they got the wrong person and that it’s not him,” said Chris Taylor, a member of the men’s soccer team. “But I guess we’ll have to wait and see what the deal is.”
Taylor, a junior biology major and teammate of Garrett’s, played with him for two years. This year, Garrett did not play on the team.
When he was a member of the team, Garrett served as a mentor to some of the younger players.
“When I came up here, he kind of took me under and showed me around,” Taylor said. “He was just real cool to get along with.”
Police announced Monday that two male suspects had been arrested for the shooting that occurred in University Town Center (UTC) on Feb. 29 in Hyattsville, Md. Both suspects faced second-degree murder charges in the death of Donald James Smalls Jr., who was visiting his girlfriend, a Howard student. Police said Smalls died soon after being taken to a nearby hospital.
Prince George’s County Public Information Officer Henry Tippett said the two were being held in the District and would be extradited to Prince George’s County. Both suspects did not know their bond status at that time.
Garrett and Ellis were arrested separately by District and Prince George’s County officers on Friday afternoon, March 7.
If convicted on the charge of second-degree murder, the two suspects may face up to a life sentence in prison.
At the time of the shooting, both suspects went to UTC to meet Smalls, according to the Prince George’s Country Police Department. After a struggle took place, the victim was shot in the lower body, and both suspects left the scene on foot. In compliance with university policy, Garrett has been suspended from the university and barred from any campus activities pending the outcome of the case, according to a university statement.
Authorities were not able to release any information about Ellis, except Tippett said, “I don’t believe the other suspect was a student.”
Garrett’s arrest was the second in recent weeks of Howard-affiliated suspects in criminal cases. Joseph E. Okoh, the men’s soccer coach, was charged with soliciting on the Internet for sex with a person he believed to be a 13-year-old girl. He was arrested Jan. 25 in a sting operation by Virginia authorities.