On a Tuesday night in New Orleans' Seventh Ward, the life of 37-year-old Brent McDonald was tragically cut short. It was August 12, 2025, when gunfire erupted around 9:20 p.m. near the intersection of Allen and North Dorgenois streets. When the New Orleans Police Department arrived, they discovered a chaotic scene with three men having been shot.
Brent McDonald was one of the three victims.
He was rushed to a local hospital by emergency medical services, but tragically, he succumbed to his injuries. A second victim, 17-year-old De'Von Franklin, was also fatally wounded in the shooting and died at the hospital after being taken there by a private vehicle. A third man was also injured in the incident but survived.
In the weeks that followed the shooting, investigators worked to piece together the events of that violent night. Their efforts led them to identify a suspect in the double homicide. On August 28, 2025, with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service and the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office, the New Orleans Police Department's Violent Offender Warrant Squad arrested 17-year-old Ra'Quine Butler in Metairie. Butler was arrested in connection with the murders of both Brent McDonald and De'Von Franklin and was set to face two counts of homicide.
