Man charged with murder after shooting death of a 15-year-old boy in downtown Raleigh

The man accused of shooting and wounding a teenage boy in downtown Raleigh last week has now been charged with murder, the Raleigh Police Department said Monday morning.

Steven Mark Stanley II, 22, was initially charged a week ago, on Oct. 23, for allegedly shooting an unidentified juvenile near Moore Square Magnet Middle School after 2 p.m.

The juvenile who was shot, Shamar Leverette, 15, died Sunday from his injuries. 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.

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He was imprisoned again in January this year after his post-release supervision was revoked by the state, which is known as a post-release revocation in state law.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.