Rafael Jeffers, a 33-year-old male, was fatally shot on November 13, 2021, while at his place of business, the Bladi Style Barbershop, on O'Donnell Street in Baltimore, Maryland. Originally from the Dominican Republic, Jeffers was the owner of the barbershop and was described as a hardworking family man. He was a father of two children who resided in the Dominican Republic, and he worked six days a week to support them.
On that Saturday afternoon, a man identified as 38-year-old Carlos
Ortega entered the barbershop and shot Jeffers. At the time of the shooting, an off-duty Baltimore Police sergeant was in the barber's chair getting a haircut. After Ortega shot Jeffers, the sergeant drew his personal firearm and shot Ortega. Both Jeffers and Ortega succumbed to their injuries and were pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting revealed that Ortega was responsible for a series of violent acts that day. Prior to arriving at the barbershop, Ortega had been involved in an altercation where he was stabbed. He then retrieved a gun and shot the man who stabbed him. Following that incident, he drove to another barbershop where he fatally shot 44-year-old Javier Villegas Cotto. The attack on Jeffers was the final event in this violent spree.
The Maryland Attorney General's Independent Investigations Division investigated the officer-involved shooting aspect of the case. Surveillance footage from inside the barbershop captured the incident. In July 2022, it was announced that the off-duty sergeant who shot and killed Carlos Ortega would not face any charges, as his actions were deemed justified in response to an active shooter. The motive for Ortega's initial targeting of Jeffers and the other victims remained part of the ongoing police investigation.
