Mario Butler, a 44-year-old Black man, was shot on a residential stretch of Driftwood Avenue in Memphis’s Frayser neighborhood on the morning of May 17, 2026. Police responded shortly after 10 a.m. to the 2100 block and found Butler with at least one gunshot wound; he was alive but critically injured, taken to a hospital, and later died from his injuries. The reported cause of death was gunfire and the case was handled under Memphis Police incident number 2605025799ME.

Early statements from investigators indicated the suspect appeared to know Butler, and several people were detained as police worked to determine who was involved and what led to the shooting.

If anyone in Frayser that morning saw what happened on Driftwood Avenue or knows someone who knew Mario Butler, please share any information with Memphis police.