On 15 February 1999, Big L was murdered at 45 West 139th Street after being shot nine times in the face and chest in a drive-by shooting at the age of 24. Gerard Woodley, his childhood friend, was arrested for the shooting. A spokesperson for the New York City Police Department said that "It's a good possibility it was retaliation for something [Big L's] brother did, or [Woodley] believed he had done". Woodley was later released and the murder is still unsolved.