Man accused of killing teen in downtown Raleigh shooting could face death penalty
The man accused of fatally shooting a teenage boy in downtown Raleigh last week could face life in prison or the death penalty, a judge said in Wake County court on Tuesday afternoon.
Steven Mark Stanley II, 22, was charged with murder on Monday, the day after Shamar Leverette, 15, died from injuries he sustained in the shooting, the Raleigh Police Department said in an update Monday.
Stanley was initially arrested and charged a week ago, for allegedly shooting Shamar near Moore Square Magnet Middle School in downtown Raleigh after 2 p.m. on Oct. 23.
Shamar died Sunday. His mother told The News & Observer that she believes her son may have been standing up for a friend during a confrontation when he was shot.
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After the shooting, Stanley was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to kill inflicting serious injury, and possession of a firearm by a felon. He was charged with murder on Monday.
He is being held in Wake County jail under a $1 million bond.
Previous felony conviction
Stanley had several prior convictions for robbery, larceny and drug possession, court records show.
Stanley served a concurrent eight-month prison sentence after being convicted of drug possession felonies, breaking and entering, and larceny after breaking and entering. He was released in April 2022, according to the Department of Corrections.
He was imprisoned again in January this year after his post-release supervision was revoked by the state, which is known as a post-release revocation in state law. He was released in August while serving a concurrent sentence for attempted robbery, for which he was convicted in February.
Most recently, he was charged on Sept. 25 for possession of a controlled substance, in August for identity theft and in January he was charged with robbery and possessing methamphetamine, according to Wake County records.
This story was originally published October 30, 2023 at 10:02 AM.
