Skip to content

The Survivors

Overview

“The Survivors” is the informal name for a group of five young Black men from West Baltimore who have been best friends since childhood and were bound together by a traumatic incident in June 2019. When Marcus Henderson Jr. experienced a mental health crisis at age sixteen, his four friends—Kevin Williams, Darnell Taylor, Tre Martin, and Jamal Thompson—arrived to help him before police, only to have Officer Rodriguez escalate the situation by pointing his weapon at Kevin and then firing a warning shot. The viral video of this incident (6.8 million views) and its aftermath shaped all five men’s lives and career paths.

The name “The Survivors” emerged organically from the community and the friends themselves, acknowledging not just their survival of the 2019 incident but their collective resilience through childhood in West Baltimore, systemic racism, and the ongoing challenges of being young Black men in America.

Members

Marcus “MJ” Henderson Jr. (b. 2003)

  • The one whose crisis brought police response
  • Veterinary technician at West Baltimore Veterinary Clinic
  • FASD diagnosed in childhood; bipolar I diagnosed in June 2019; autism formally diagnosed in adulthood
  • Engaged to Jasmine (met in psych unit, 2019)
  • See: Marcus Henderson

Kevin Williams (b. May 5, 2003)

  • Had Rodriguez’s gun pointed at him during the 2019 incident
  • Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and trauma therapist
  • Developed PTSD from the incident
  • In romantic relationship with Darnell Taylor (2025/2026–)
  • See: Kevin Williams

Darnell Taylor (b. ~2003)

  • Pulled Kevin to safety during the 2019 incident (with Tre)
  • Baltimore Police Officer, graduated top of class (2026)
  • Inspired by Captain Weston’s de-escalation to pursue reform-minded policing
  • In romantic relationship with Kevin Williams (2025/2026–)
  • See: Darnell Taylor

Tre Martin (b. January 17, 2002)

  • Pulled Kevin to safety during the 2019 incident (with Darnell)
  • U.S. Marine Corps sergeant; medical-retirement process began in early 2027 and formal retirement followed later that year
  • Critically injured in December 2026 training exercise saving 30+ service members
  • See: Tre Martin

Jamal Thompson (b. late 2002)

  • Witnessed the 2019 incident
  • Georgetown Law graduate and civil rights attorney
  • Focused on police accountability, mental-health crisis response, and systemic reform
  • See: Jamal Thompson

Origins

The five boys met at the West Baltimore Recreation Center circa 2007–2008. They grew up together, forming bonds that would sustain them through childhood, adolescence, and into adulthood. Marcus was frequently targeted by bullies because of his emotional sensitivity, gentleness, and visible disabilities. Kevin became his closest confidant and primary childhood protector, combining physical presence with quiet attention to changes in Marcus’s emotional state. Darnell and Tre also moved toward danger when a friend needed protection, while Jamal challenged the policies and adults who failed Marcus. These tendencies developed through years of shared experience rather than formal agreement.

Group Dynamics

Each member brings distinct qualities to the group:

  • Marcus: The emotional heart, the empath who feels everything deeply
  • Kevin: The quiet observer with deep empathy and analytical emotional intelligence
  • Darnell: The steady protector, calm in crisis, protective without being controlling
  • Tre: The action-oriented defender, physical courage paired with fierce loyalty
  • Jamal: The analytical mind, sees systemic patterns, processes internally

Their different instincts gave the group several ways to respond to danger: Kevin noticed, Jamal analyzed, Darnell steadied, Tre acted, and Marcus kept them emotionally connected. No one role belonged exclusively to one person, but the pattern helped them function collectively during crises.

The June 2019 Incident

On June 15, 2019, Marcus Henderson Jr. climbed onto a rooftop in West Baltimore during a suicidal crisis and his first recognized bipolar episode. He was close to using a knife on himself. His adoptive mother, Sharon, called his four friends when she couldn’t reach him.

Kevin, Darnell, Tre, and Jamal arrived before police, began successfully talking Marcus down, and persuaded him to drop the knife he had carried onto the roof. When Officers Patterson and Rodriguez arrived, Marcus was unarmed, but they escalated the situation by ordering the friends away and drawing weapons on him. When Kevin (then sixteen, six feet five inches tall, and unarmed) refused to leave his best friend, Rodriguez pointed his service weapon at Kevin and threatened arrest. Rodriguez then fired a warning shot.

Darnell and Tre physically pulled Kevin backward out of the line of fire after the shot.

Lieutenant Nathan Weston arrived and immediately de-escalated, ordering weapons lowered and successfully talking Marcus down with compassion. He rode in the ambulance with Marcus and continued checking on him during treatment.

The incident was captured on video and went viral with 6.8 million views, sparking widespread discussion about police response to mental health crises and the treatment of Black teenagers.

Career Paths: Five Approaches to the Same Goal

The 2019 incident shaped all five men’s career trajectories. Each chose a different path toward the same goal: preventing what happened to them from happening to others.

Marcus (Veterinary Technician): Uses his profound empathy—the same sensitivity that made him vulnerable—to help animals and their families through trauma, pain, and loss. His work demonstrates that people who’ve experienced crisis can provide exceptional compassionate care.

Kevin (Trauma Therapist): Heals survivors of trauma through clinical practice, using his lived experience and PTSD to connect with clients who’ve experienced similar violations. His focus on trauma-informed care directly reflects what he wished had existed for the five of them.

Darnell (Police Officer): Works to reform policing from within, inspired by the contrast between Rodriguez’s escalation and Captain Weston’s compassion. His approach—de-escalation first, seeing people as human—directly counters what almost killed his friends.

Tre (Marine, Medically Retired in 2027): Served his country and saved 30+ service members before being critically injured. His military service represented protection on a larger scale, though his path was altered by December 2026.

Jamal (Civil Rights Attorney): After completing his J.D. in spring 2026, he pursued civil rights work in Baltimore and helped build the legal infrastructure needed to hold systems accountable. He recognized that individual good actors were not enough; the system itself had to change through litigation, legislation, and policy reform.

Ongoing Bonds

Despite different career paths and geographic distances, the five maintained extremely close bonds. Their group chat, named “The Survivors” by Jamal after the June 2019 incident, gave them a constant point of contact as work, school, and military service carried them into different cities. When Tre was critically injured in December 2026, the other four immediately flew to San Diego to be at his bedside.

Public Recognition

When Tre’s December 2026 heroism made national news, the 2019 video resurfaced. Earlier commentary from 2025–2026, when Jamal was still in law school, had already connected the friends’ careers to their shared experience:

“All five are doing good: Therapist, Cop, Vet tech, Law student, Marine. They survived and they’re all fighting to make sure what happened to them doesn’t happen to others.”

The Survivors have become, in some ways, a symbol of resilience and the possibility of channeling trauma into purpose.

Significance

The Survivors represent:

  • Survival: Literal survival of police violence and its trauma
  • Chosen Family: Bonds formed in childhood that sustain through adulthood
  • Multi-Pronged Justice: Different approaches to the same goal of systemic change
  • Black Excellence: Five young Black men thriving despite systems designed to harm them
  • Hope: Proof that trauma can be transformed into purpose
Organizations and Collectives Chosen Family The Survivors