On Halloween afternoon, October 31, 2018, 33-year-old Leonard Shelley, a Black male, was fatally shot in Baltimore, Maryland. The incident occurred at approximately 2:15 p.m. in the 200 block of North Monastery Avenue. According to police reports and surveillance footage, two armed men chased Shelley into a local market where they shot him multiple times.
He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into Shelley's murder revealed a sinister plot connected to a violent Baltimore gang. Authorities identified the perpetrators as D'Andre Preston and Darran Malik Butler, both associated with the 'NFL' criminal enterprise. It was discovered that a bounty had been placed on Leonard Shelley's life, and a co-conspirator had solicited Butler to carry out the murder for the gang to collect the reward.
In a brazen act following the murder, Darran Butler posted a picture on Instagram showcasing the money he received for killing Shelley. Both Preston and Butler were eventually apprehended and faced federal charges for their roles in the racketeering conspiracy and Shelley's murder. On November 9, 2022, Darran Malik Butler, then 23, was sentenced to 25 years in federal prison. D'Andre Preston also received a 25-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in the murder and the broader racketeering activities of the NFL gang. The case against them was part of a larger investigation that saw more than 30 members and associates of the NFL enterprise plead guilty to various charges.
