An evening of conversation on a porch in a Milwaukee neighborhood took a tragic turn, leaving a family devastated by sudden and unexpected violence. On August 24, 2022, Ivory Mallory, an 86-year-old Black / African American man, was shot and seriously injured in an attack that also claimed the life of his 82-year-old wife, Shirley Mallory. The couple, along with Shirley's visiting sister and a friend, were enjoying a late summer evening when their neighbor, Leslie Bost, emerged from the
adjacent duplex and opened fire on the group.
The tranquil sounds of laughter and conversation were shattered by the eruption of gunfire. Ivory Mallory, who had been inside watching television, rushed out after hearing the shots and found his wife grievously wounded. He was then shot multiple times in the lower back and buttocks. Shirley Mallory was pronounced dead at the scene, while her husband, her 88-year-old sister, Carrie Barnhill, and a 65-year-old friend were all injured in the assault. Shortly after the shooting, a fire broke out at the home where Bost lived.
In the immediate aftermath, police identified 57-year-old Leslie Bost as the suspect and a manhunt ensued. Before he could be apprehended, however, Bost was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in a different residence in September 2022. Prior to his death, prosecutors had charged Bost with one count of first-degree reckless homicide and four counts of first-degree recklessly endangering safety. The motive for the shooting remains unclear, though Bost's sister, who was present on the porch but uninjured, told investigators that her brother was a private person who held long grudges. She mentioned past minor disputes between Bost and Ivory Mallory over grass in the backyard and some work a friend had done at their house that Bost disliked.
Ivory Mallory was transported to a hospital and spent a week there before being released. Despite surviving the initial attack, he succumbed to his injuries five months later, dying at the VA Medical Center in Milwaukee on January 27, 2023. The tragic shooting cut short a marriage of 57 years and left a family to grapple with the loss of both parents.
