Leavenworth man sentenced to nearly 10 years for fatally shooting 31-year-old father
A Leavenworth man was sentenced to nearly 10 years in prison for the fatal shooting of a 31-year-old man nearly one year ago.
Cordell Marqueise Stewart was charged with first-degree murder in the killing of Floyd Ross, Jr., and pleaded no contest in March in Leavenworth County District Court. Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson said Wednesday that a judge sentenced Stewart to 117 months.
Officers responded to reports of a shooting on May 4, 2021, on North 4th and Kiowa streets. When they arrived, they found Ross suffering from multiple gunshot wounds and transported him to the hospital, where he died.
In a previous interview with The Star, the Ross family remembered Ross as a caring and gentle person. He was a former track athlete who once participated in the U.S. Olympic Trials and left behind a 3-year-old daughter.
Following a police investigation, Stewart was identified as a suspect.
Video surveillance obtained by Leavenworth police showed Ross and Stewart near the 400 Block of Kiowa Street. The footage showed Ross dropping to the ground following a series of flashes. Stewart was seen running east on Kiowa.
Stewart pleaded no contest to shooting Ross at least two times.
“There was no excuse for this death,” Thompson said in a statement Wednesday, “not even the defendant’s own mental health.”
