Lorain man gets 3-4 1/2 years prison for his role in fatal 2022 shooting

A Lorain man involved in the killing of another man 18 months ago has been sentenced to more than three years in prison. Marquis Smallwood, 22, of Forest Hill Drive, pleaded guilty to involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence and trafficking in marijuana, all felonies, in Lorain County Common Pleas Court on Sept. 18. He was sentenced to an indefinite term of three to four and a half years in prison by Judge John Miraldi on Nov. 6. Smallwood was credited with 17 days served toward his sentence, according to court records. Miraldi promised to consider Smallwood for judicial release after close to a year behind bars, but there were no official sentencing agreements, according to the Lorain County Prosecutor's Office. A message seeking comment was left for defense attorney Mike Stepanik. Though authorities said he was not the triggerman, Smallwood was charged with being involved in the May 10, 2022 shooting death of Jeffrey Reed, 22, of Lorain. He was originally charged with murder by Lorain police, but a grand jury indicted him on involuntary manslaughter, tampering with evidence and trafficking in marijuana charges in August 2022. Smallwood was present when Reed was killed, but Assistant Prosecutor Matt Kern said the evidence showed he wasn't the shooter. Prosecutors "have identified a person we believe is the shooter, but based on the evidence available, we are not pursuing charges at this time," Kern said Monday. The Lorain Police Department responded to a call of shots fired around 10 p.m. May 10, 2022, in the 1000 block of West 45th Place. They learned that Reed had been shot and wounded, taken to Mercy Health Hospital in Lorain and died there. Later, Smallwood also showed up at the hospital with a gunshot wound and was treated and released. He was arrested on a murder warrant by Lorain police officers and the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force on June 15. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com. Follow him at @daveobrienCT on X, formerly Twitter.