In the city of Baltimore, a dispute on a Friday afternoon tragically escalated, claiming the life of 55-year-old Johnny Small. On March 1, 2024, officers were called to the 5400 block of Sinclair Lane around 1:05 p.m. for a reported shooting. There they discovered Small suffering from a gunshot wound. He was quickly transported to a local hospital, but despite the efforts of medical personnel, he was pronounced deceased.
The investigation into the death of Small, a Black male, led
detectives to the 5300 block of Frankford Avenue, where they determined the shooting had taken place following a dispute. Within days, a suspect was identified. On March 11, with the assistance of multiple police units, 23-year-old Derek Steele of Baltimore was located and arrested on the 1700 block of West Baltimore Street.
Steele was subsequently charged with first-degree murder for the death of Johnny Small and was held at the Central Booking Intake Facility without bail. In a later court appearance, Derek Steele III accepted a plea agreement. The agreement entailed a lifetime sentence with all but 40 years suspended for the charge of first-degree murder.
