On the evening of New Year's Day, Oluwatosin Adetula, a 36-year-old man, was working as a rideshare driver in Cottage City, Maryland, when his life was tragically cut short. At approximately 10:40 p.m., police responded to a report of a shooting in a parking lot in the 3300 block of Bladensburg Road. There, they found Adetula suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was rushed to a local hospital in critical condition and succumbed to his injuries six days later on January 7th. A hardworking new father of a four-month-old baby, his family described him as a devoted man who was cherished by his loved ones.
The investigation into the shooting led detectives to identify 21-year-old Brandon Leonard as the suspect. An arrest warrant was issued, and members of the Prince George's County Police Department's Fugitive Unit located and apprehended Leonard in Winchester, Virginia, on January 15th.
He has since been charged with first and second-degree murder, as well as other related charges, and is awaiting extradition back to Prince George's County to face legal proceedings.
According to a law enforcement source, the moments leading up to the fatal shooting were captured on a phone call Adetula was having with a relative. The relative reportedly heard the suspect demand that Adetula 'turn down the radio,' followed by Adetula's plea, 'please don't shoot me,' before the sound of gunfire erupted. While shell casings were recovered from the scene, the motive for the shooting, whether it was a targeted attack, a robbery, or an altercation with a passenger, remains under investigation.
