In the summer of 1986, the city of Louisville, Kentucky became the scene of a fatal encounter rooted in a long-standing rivalry between two notorious motorcycle clubs. On the night of August 12, a male by the name of John Cleave Webb, aged 36 and a member of the Hells Angels motorcycle club, found himself in a fateful confrontation. Outside a saloon known as Big Fred's Broken Spur Saloon, located on Dixie Highway in a southern suburb of the city, a dispute escalated into violence that would
ultimately claim Webb's life.
John Webb, who was affiliated with the Anchorage, Alaska chapter of the Hells Angels, was shot during the altercation. The incident was not a random act of violence but rather a manifestation of the deep-seated animosity between the Hells Angels and their rivals, the Outlaws Motorcycle Club. The man responsible for the shooting was identified as Leonard "Cool Ray" Mullen, a member of the Outlaws. The shooting was another violent chapter in the ongoing feud between the two groups.
Following the death of John Webb, legal proceedings were initiated against his killer. Leonard Mullen was arrested and faced charges for his role in the shooting. In the end, Mullen pleaded guilty to a charge of reckless homicide. As a result of his plea, he was convicted of the killing of John Webb. For the crime, Mullen was sentenced to probation, a resolution that stirred controversy and highlighted the challenges of prosecuting cases involving outlaw motorcycle gangs. The death of John Webb sent ripples through the biker community, and the ensuing trial and lenient sentence for his killer were closely watched developments in the turf wars of these rival clubs.
