2015 Birmingham homicides

Map of Birmingham homicides in 2015

This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 2015. It includes homicide cases that occurred within the city limits during the calendar year. Note that a "homicide" refers to the cause of death as determined by a medical examiner, not to the commission of the crime of murder as charged by police and prosecutors.

A total of 100 homicides were reported in the city over the course of the year. Based on the 2015 census estimate of 212,461 population, that would represent 47.1 homicides per 100,000 population. Birmingham had a record low of 62 homicides in 2014 and 69 homicides in 2013. The recent record high was 141 in 1992.

The city averaged 8.3 homicides per month, or one every 3.65 days. There were 7 incidents in January, 8 in February, 7 in March, 7 in April, 9 in May, 2 in June, 11 in July, 4 in August, 3 in September, 14 in October, 15 in November and 13 in December. The longest stretch without a homicide was the 24 days between May 30 & June 22. Seventeen deaths were reported on Sundays, 13 on Mondays, 15 on Tuesdays, 10 on Wednesdays, 12 on Thursdays, 20 on Fridays and 13 on Saturdays.

Of the 100 reported homicides, suspects have been identified in 57 cases, apprehended in 52, and charged in 39. One other suspect died on the scene. Eleven incidents, including two police shootings, were justified as self-defense, eight were caused by reckless driving rather than malice aforethought, and one resulted from neglecting the welfare of a child. The police department therefore acknowledged 87 chargeable homicides, of which 78 were classified as murders. So far convictions have been secured in at least 18 deaths: 6 at trial and 12 by plea to lesser charges. Charges were dismissed in three cases and downgraded to reckless manslaughter by a grand jury in another. One suspect killed himself before his trial began.

At least eighty homicides were shootings, nine resulted from vehicle collisions, three from stab wounds, two from strangulation, one from blunt trauma, and three from abuse to children. Thirty-five took place on the streets, fifteen in yards or driveways, twenty-one inside homes, seventeen at apartment complexes, ten at places of business and two at public parks. Fifty-eight were reported in the West Precinct, 28 in the East Precinct, 5 in the South Precinct and 9 in the North Precinct. Sixteen deaths were the result of domestic disputes or love triangles, seven from ongoing disagreements, seven occurred during robberies, one was a staged fight that got out of hand, eight were drug related, eight were caused by reckless driving, and another resulted from child abuse. Eighty-eight victims were male and twelve were female.

Listing by date

1. January 4: Darrell Edward Watkins, 37, was struck by a car while walking along Ishkooda Road on his way home from a neighborhood shop. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he died from his injuries. No arrest. (report)
2. January 6: Jaremiah Mason Hayes, 2, died at Children's Hospital from head injuries sustained at his home in Ensley. The Jefferson County Coroner determined that the death was a homicide. D'Juan Lovell Steen, a boyfriend of the victim's mother, was arrested and initially charged with capital murder. The charge was reduced to manslaughter by Judge Virginia Vinson after a preliminary hearing. Steen was found not guilty at trial in March 2018. (report)
3. January 14: Cheryl Smith, 38, was crushed by a car following an argument with her husband at their home on the 1700 block of 34th Street in Ensley. No arrest. (report)
4. January 16: Lucretia Rachel, 45, was found strangled to death in room 111 of the Birmingham Inn on 3rd Avenue West. Johnny "Squeeky" Coach Jr was arrested and charged with murder. (report)
5. January 16: Mark Andrew Kieskowski, 47, was found strangled to death in his living room on the 900 block of 28th Street South in Highland Park. Jason Paul Hopkins and Dane Donovan Leach were arrested in Shelby County and charged with capital murder. (report)
6. January 26: James Darryl Kinnion, 46, was found shot to death at the corner of 33rd Avenue and 34th Street North in Collegeville. No arrest. (report)
7. January 30: Jeffrey Cade, 45, was shot to death in his car at the Shell station at Princeton Parkway and 3rd Avenue West. No arrest (report)
8. February 5: Tydarius Dewayne Adams, 29, was shot to death in a breezeway at the Watertown Apartments on Watertown Circle after an argument over a suspected drug transaction. No arrest. (report)
9. February 7: Raphael Roman, 29, was shot to death at Interlaken Avenue and 64th Court Way South in Marks Village housing project. He had argued with his girlfriend earlier and then with her brother, Ronald Lee Austin Jr, who shot him. Austin was arrested and charged with murder. The charges were dismissed in Laura Petro's court in 2017 under the Alabama Stand Your Ground Law. (report)
10. February 10: Anthony Dewantez "Scooter" Jones, 28, was shot to death in a drive-by while standing on a driveway on the 4000 block of 38th Avenue North, across from Inglenook Park in Inglenook. Genarro Wilks was arrested in July and charged with murder. (report)
11. February 17: Miracle Stinson, 14, was shot to death outside his grandmother's home at 2600 Avenue L following an altercation at the Ensley Library. Jibrail Hutchinson was arrested and charged with murder. He was convicted on the lesser charges of of reckless manslaughter and discharging a firearm into an occupied dwelling in February 2017. (report)
12. February 20: Stanley Lamar Grant, 38, was shot and killed by a Homewood Police officer returning fire during a drug warrant search at the Towncrest Apartments on the 2200 block of Green Springs Highway. (report)
13. February 26: Brittany Nicole Ford, 21, died at UAB Hospital from injuries sustained in a February 12 shooting on the 7500 block of 66th Court Way South in the Marks Village housing community. She was hit inside her apartment by a stray bullet fired during a confrontation outside. Philiech Antonio Ansley was charged with murder on June 15 and turned himself in a month later. Judge Tracie Todd dismissed the capital murder charge after prosecutors requested a delay to arrange for a witness in federal prison to testify. (report)
14. February 26: Fredrick Junior Pryor, 24, was found shot to death inside his Chevy C1500 pick-up on the 500 block of Avenue B in Pratt City. Quindon Turner was arrested in April and charged with murder. (report)
15. February 27: Kiera'Onna "Keke" Rice, 14, was shot in the chest, and then run over by a car, in the aftermath of a long-simmering fight staged for social media at Washington Park, on the 900 block of Washington Avenue near Princeton Hospital. Antonio King and Jason Wade were charged with murder and assault. The charges against King were dismissed by Judge Virginia Vinson in July 2017 because prosecutors were unable to get witnesses to cooperate. (report)
16. March 1: Cedric Dewayne Pierson, 32, died at UAB Hospital from injuries sustained in a February 22 gunfight inside a home on the 7400 block of 1st Avenue South. Pierson and his brother were visiting the homeowner's nephew when her son, Cadarius Deandre Owens, came to check on her and got into an argument with them. Both were wounded in the shooting. Owens was initially charged with first-degree assault, with a murder charge added after Pierson's death. He was convicted of lesser charges of manslaughter and first-degree assault in November 2016 and sentenced by Judge Clyde Jones in January 2017 to serve 20 years on each charge with the sentences running consecutively. Owens' convictions were upheld by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in May 2018. (report)
17. March 3: Stewart Antonio Pritchett, 27, was fatally wounded in a shooting at a traffic signal on the 1500 block of Pearson Avenue Southwest. According to witnesses he approached a vehicle at the light and fired into it and was hit by return fire. The shooter was also wounded, but is expected to recover. (report)
18. March 4: Willie Albert Stevens, 30, was shot and killed at a home on Columbia Street at Dugan Avenue in North Pratt. He reportedly came to the house of his former girlfriend and assaulted her before her current boyfriend intervened. The argument ended with the shooting. The shooter was taken into custody at the scene, but has not been charged. (report)
19. March 10: Van Clair Williams, 71, was found shot to death outside his vehicle, which was parked on his driveway on the 600 block of Parkview Drive in eastern Birmingham. A gun was recovered nearby, but was found not to have fired the fatal shot. No arrest. (report)
20. March 10: Jarvis Kawanz Bell, 25, was found shot to death inside a Chevrolet Impala on the 2700 block of Burrell Street near Slayden Avenue in Ensley. Bell was expected to testify against Jaymee Smith for the 2012 murder of Jarvis Bell, but his murder, which appears to have resulted from a disputed drug deal, is not believed to have been related to his pending testimony. No arrest. (report)
21. March 22: Lamarkus Demon Hamilton, 19, died from a gunshot wound he received at an apartment complex on the 1000 block of Tuscaloosa Avenue Southwest on the previous Friday afternoon. The incident occurred while Hamilton was attempting to break up a fight between Chanze Jones and Jones' mother's boyfriend. Jones was arrested and charged with murder. He was convicted on a lesser charge of manslaughter and acquitted for attempted murder. Judge Virginia Vinson sentenced him to serve 12 years in prison. (report)
22. March 27: Douglas Harris, 77, died at UAB Hospital after being shot by Birmingham Police officer conducting a welfare check at his apartment in the East Lake House on the 7900 block of 1st Avenue South. The officer went to the Harris' door on the 4th floor and knocked. Harris pulled a gun. The officer fired in apparent self-defense. The Alabama Bureau of Investigation is reviewing the incident. (report)
23. April 4: An unnamed male was found shot to death in the front yard of a home on the 7900 block of Rugby Avenue in South East Lake. No arrest (report)
24. April 17: John Howard Loganm, 84, last seen alive in January, was found shot to death under piles of debris inside a home on the 1300 block of Cresthill Road in Crestwood South. No arrest. (report)
25. April 21: Jawan Antonio Woods, 28, was shot to death in a car parked outside 1587 Washington Street in Dolomite. No arrest. The house was set on fire a week later. Tavaris Antoine Paries was arrested in May and charged with capital murder. (report)
26. April 22: Linda Garrison Jones, 69, was killed when her car was struck by a stolen truck at the intersection of 56th Street South and Crestwood Boulevard. The driver, Martin Jay Creasman, was charged with two counts of reckless murder, vehicle theft, and hindering prosecution. He also has outstanding warrants for escape, unlawful flight, failure to appear, and narcotics possession. (report)
27. April 22: Margie Smith "Deanie" Lovell, 92, a passenger in the same incident, died later of her injuries at UAB Hospital.
28. April 27: Lajarvis Arnette "Jarvis" Holmes, 30, was shot to death during a confrontation near his mother's house at Maple Avenue and 16th Way Southwest in Powderly. The shooting came a few hours after police broke up a fight between Holmes and his wife. The wife and a male friend of hers, the suspected shooter, were taken into custody shortly afterward. They were released pending a Grand Jury hearing on whether the death resulted from self-defense or from a criminal act. (report)
29. April 30: Corey Alexander Smith, 22, was killed in an argument inside a car on the 2300 block of 7th Way Northwest behind Devonshire Place Apartments. Corey Washington was arrested and charged with murder. (report)
30. May 2: Nicholas Smith, 23, died at UAB Hospital from head injuries suffered in a shooting at 44th Street and 12th Court North in Kingston. No arrest. (report)
31. May 4: Willie Cornelius "Itty Bitty" Washington, 35, was found shot to death, along with two other victims, inside an officially abandoned home at 457 3rd Street North in Smithfield. No arrest. (report)
32. May 4: Johnny Kordara Griffin, 24, was found shot to death in the same house. Griffin had pleaded guilty to robbing a woman of her pick-up truck at knifepoint in 2014.
33. May 4: Korde Lorodius Turner, 24, was found shot to death in the same house. Turner had been charged with the 2009 death of Leroy "Little Fred" Yarbrough, but claimed self-defense and was acquitted in 2013.
34. May 9: James Tevarus Williams, 32, was found shot to death on the porch of a home on the 2600 block of 19th Avenue North in Norwood during an argument over drugs. Investigators concluded that the shooting was in self defense and declined to prosecute. (report)
35. May 10: Vanderick Lavorne Thomas, 28, was found shot to death in the kitchen of a home at 303 6th Street Southwest after an apparent argument over gambling. Justin Hendrix, the suspected shooter, was admitted to UAB Hospital with gunshot wounds, but investigators did not proceed with criminal charges. Thomas previously pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter in the 2005 death of Nathan Campbell. Hendrix had previously been charged with the 2007 murder of Donald Brookins, but that charge was later dismissed. Hendrix himself was shot to death in 2022 in Homewood. (report)
36. May 13: Michael Adryen Pace, 22, died after being shot multiple times late on the evening of May 11 on the 4400 block of Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North. Carl Beasley was arrested in June and charged with murder. (report)
37. May 14: Henry Lee "Ra Ra" Toles, 33, died at UAB Hospital two days after being shot during a dispute over a woman outside the Wylam Junction convenience store on the 3900 block of 9th Court Wylam, across from Wylam Elementary School. Toles had killed Harold Eugene Davis in March 2014, but it was ruled self-defense. Tarus Hawkins, who had previously been cleared in a self-defense shooting in 2014, was arrested on May 22 and charged with murder. He was convicted and sentenced to serve 40 years in prison. His conviction was upheld by the Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals in August 2018. (report)
38. May 25: Charlie Fuller, 86, died at UAB Hospital from trauma suffered when he was attacked and beaten while feeding his dogs in the garage of his home on Carver Avenue Southwest in Grasselli Heights on May 13. No arrest. A $5,000 reward for information leading to a conviction in the case has been offered by the Governor's office. (report)
39. June 23: Antwon Dewayne Jones, 33, was fatally wounded in a gunfight in a unit of the Forest Hills Village apartments at 2600 Tempest Drive off of Ishkooda Road in Powderly. Randall Demarcus Bimbo was arrested in July and charged with murder and attempted murder. He was arraigned in Tommy Nail's court in May 2016 and pleaded not guilty. He agreed to plead guilty to manslaughter in exchange for dropping the attempted murder charge. He was sentenced by Judge Laura Petro to serve 20 years in prison. (report)
40. June 26: Gary Johnson, 56, was shot to death during a domestic argument at his home on the 100 block of Lake Drive Northeast in Huffman. A grand jury declined to indict his wife, who testified that her husband was drunk and roughing her up, and that she intended to fire a warning shot that accidentally struck him in the head. (report)
41. July 1: Shamar Polk, 15, was shot to death at the Jet Pep station on Pinson Valley Parkway at Winewood Road in Echo Highlands. He and two other teenagers had been approaching cars at the station. The shooter left the scene. No arrest. (report)
42. July 1: Chris Cooley, 41, was found shot to death with his wife at their home on the 1200 block of 5th Avenue West in College Hills. No arrest. (report)
43. July 1: Alexandria Dowe, 21, was found dead in the same incident.
44. July 5: Edward Donnell Wheat, 53, was stabbed to death on the porch of a home on the 7200 block of 2nd Avenue South in South East Lake when he tried to break up a fight between a woman and another man. The other man, Charles Edward Johnson, 45, also died at the scene, possibly from a heart attack or drug overdose.
45. July 9: Forrest Jackson Jr, 39, died at UAB Hospital from gunshot wounds suffered on June 16 on the 200 block of Memphis Street in Wylam. No arrest. (report)
46. July 12: Rontorius Coleman, 3, was pronounced dead on arrival at Children's Hospital from injuries sustained in an assault at 810 44th Place North. Cornelius Warren, his mother's husband, was arrested and charged with capital murder. He pleaded to the lesser charge of felony murder and given a 20-year split sentence with a minimum of 5 years served by Judge William Cole in November 2018. (report)
47. July 13: Dettrick Ramsey, 61, was found dead in his burning house at 88 Redstone Way in Killough Springs. The Jefferson County Coroner determined that there was evidence that the death was caused by homicide. No arrest. (report)
48. July 20: Paul Hicks Jr, 31, was fatally wounded by gunshot while sitting in a van which was stopped on the 1400 block of Warrior Road. No arrest. (report)
49. July 26: Bobby Deval Todd, 22, was found dead on the 3200 block of Fayette Avenue after he was struck by a vehicle. The driver did not stop and has not been found. (report)
50. July 31: Keith "Raoul" Robinson, was shot to death during a fight outside Young's Food Mart at 1547 Bessemer Road in Ensley. A suspect was taken into custody at the scene, but was released when the shooting was ruled justifiable (report)
51. July 31: Chrystol Moore, 37, was shot to death at her home at 2120 Pike Road in Ensley. Her father, Mathew Moore, was taken into custody at the scene. He allegedly killed his daughter because she refused to buy alcohol for him. He claims that she attacked him with a walking stick during their argument and he shot in self defense. (report)
52. August 11: An unnamed male was found with a gunshot wound inside Five Points Collision at 2308 Warrior Road. He later died at UAB Hospital. Investigators are unsure whether the shooting may have been accidental and/or self-inflicted. No arrest.
53. August 23: Ahmodd Arnold, 36, was found shot to death inside a house at 437 37th Court West in Hooper City. No arrest. (report)
54. August 23: Jacoria "Shug" Ray, 20, was found shot to death on the side of the 47th Avenue North bridge over I-65 near Evergreen Missionary Baptist Church. Antonio Jamar Williams was arrested and charged with capital murder. He was indicted by a grand jury in June 2016. He pleaded guilty in March 2017 and was sentenced to life without possibility of parole. (report)
55. August 28: Cameron "Cam" Toles, 16, was shot in the back of the head while leaving a party at the Springville Landing Apartments at 721 Springville Road. Robert Clarke III was taken into custody and charged with murder. (report)
56. September 3: Michael Anthony Dilworth, 30, was shot to death in the alley behind the 10 block of 6th Avenue South in Titusville South after getting into an argument with a group of men outside an Exxon gas station nearby. Two of the men, possibly known as "Maine" and "Shorty J.", are suspects, but remain at large. (report)
57. September 12: Antonio Mathews, 33, was shot in a gunfight near 119 Taft Court Way in the Loveman Village housing project. He died at UAB Hospital. No arrest. (report)
58. September 25: Ivan Hernandez Rodriguez, 39, was shot to death at the wheel of an SUV which crashed into a utility pole on Lexington Street at 4th Avenue in Wylam. No arrest (report)
59. October 2: Aubrey Herren, 46, was found shot to death on the 300 block of 9th Street West. No arrest (report)
60. October 2: Bobby Baker, 18, was shot to death following a fight which started when his cousin knocked a video game controller out of his hand at a house on the 3500 block of 45th Street Southwest. The shooter was taken into custody. (report)
61. October 8: Justin Deangelo Watford, 22, was shot to death in a drive-by ambush outside Good Friends Chinese & Seafood Restaurant on Dennison Avenue Southwest. Two others were injured when someone in a blue Dodge Charger opened fire on their vehicle. No arrest. (report)
62. October 9: Shelley Manson, 69, was shot in the hip at his home on the 800 block of 2nd Street North in the Smithfield Court housing project, and later died at UAB Hospital. His wife was taken into custody. (report)
63. October 10: An unnamed male, 59, was found dead after apparently being struck by a vehicle at East Lake Boulevard and Burgin Avenue. No arrest. (report)
64. October 12: Kelci Devine Lewis, 1 year old, died at Children's Hospital from trauma apparently suffered at their temporary home on 2nd Avenue South. Investigators determined that Kelci had been left at the home with four other children while she and a friend went out to a nightclub. An 8-year-old boy apparently beat her to try to stop her from crying. The boy was charged with murder and the mother, Katerra Lewis, was charged with manslaughter. The initial charge was dismissed by Judge Shelly Watkins for probable cause and sent to a grand jury, which returned an indictment for reckless manslaughter. (report)
65. October 14: Ronald Samuels, 27, was found shot to death in the parking lot of the Norwood Plaza Apartments on the 1700 block of 32nd Place North in Norwood. The shooting was apparently related to an earlier altercation. No arrest. (report)
66. October 15: Christopher Donell Wells, 29, was shot to death during an argument over a girlfriend on the 4300 block of Pulaski Street in Inglenook. Roderigues Cunningham turned himself in and was charged with murder. (report)
67. October 17: Luiz Hayakahua, 34, was shot to death outside the Tijuana Club on the 1200 block of Bessemer Road. The argument between three males began inside the club. A gray four-door Dodge truck is sought in connection with the shooting. No arrest. (report)
68. October 18: Andre Feliciano Waters, 45, died at UAB Hospital from injuries suffered in a shooting on August 27 outside of the Kingston Grocery at 7th Avenue North and 44th Place North in Kingston. Douglas White was arrested on October 22 and charged with murder. (report)
69. October 20: Maurice Dukes, 28, was shot to death in his Ford Mustang during a robbery while working as a security guard for Imperial Security at The Park at Wood Station apartments at 6051 1st Avenue South in Woodlawn. Michael Bragg, serving a suspended sentence for property theft, was arrested and charged with robbery and capital murder in February 2016. He was indicted on the capital murder charge by a grand jury in June 2016 and later pleaded guilty to reckless manslaughter. Judge Theresa Pulliam sentenced him to 15 years and six months in prison. (report)
70. October 23: Shundria Peoples, 27, was one of two people shot to death in a Ford Taurus parked at Woodward Park in Arlington-West End. Khalief Marquise Spencer was arrested in November and charged with murder. He was indicted by a grand jury in June 2016 and agreed to a plea deal after his trial for three murders went to jury in October 2019. He was sentenced to 25 years in prison with a minimum of 18 years to serve. (report)
71. October 23: Kenneth Davidson, 35, was one of two people killed in the same incident.
72. October 23: Otis Tyrone Cook, 62, was shot to death during an argument with a neighbor at his house on the 20 block of 4th Avenue Southwest. The argument arose because Cook's niece was playing in the neighbor's yard. Melvin Nickerson was arrested and charged with murder. (report)
73. November 2: Juloshiby Dontrell Lawrence, 23, died at UAB Hospital of gunshot wounds suffered at the Rose Gardens Apartments on the 500 block of 35th Street in Ensley. He was transported to the UAB campus in a private vehicle before the incident was reported to police. No arrest. (report)
74. November 7: Justin Poole, 27, was shot while sitting in his car on 10th Place in Pratt City. He attempted to drive away, but crashed into an abandoned house on the 2100 block of the same street. He was pronounced dead after being taken to UAB Hospital. The suspected shooter stepped out of a white Dodge Charger before firing on Poole. No arrest. (report)
75. November 7: Eric Riley, 22, was shot by a homeowner during an attempted break-in on the 4600 block of Kingston Avenue. The homeowner was injured and another suspect fled the scene. No charges have been filed against the shooter, but the incident remains under investigation. (report)
76. November 11: Tyson R. LaFrance, 35, was shot to death in an apartment at 137 5th Avenue Southwest. No arrest. (report)
77. November 13: John Stitten, 50, died at UAB Hospital from a stab wound suffered in the aftermath a fight with his girlfriend outside the Sani-Clean Laundromat at 3008 12th Avenue North in Norwood on September 15. Gewonda Gubrell Hudson was initially charged with attempted murder. The charges were upgraded to capitol murder after Stitten's death. (report)
78. November 14: Tramone Larell "Lil Mone" Mitchell, 22, was found shot to death inside a 2006 BMW in the parking lot of an apartment building near the intersection of Cotton Avenue Southwest and 13th Street Southwest. Another man in the car was shot in the abdomen and taken to UAB Hospital. According to the second victim, the two had agreed to sell marijuana at that location, but were ambushed. Khalief Marquise Spencer was arrested and charged with this murder, as well as the murders of Shundria Peoples and Kenneth Davidson in October. A second suspect, Dominic Keeth, was arrested and charged in late November. Keeth was denied a request for youthful offender status and later backed out of a plea deal. He was arrested and charged in 2018 with obstruction of justice and violating the terms of his bail by removing an electronic monitoring device. Spencer accepted a plea deal after his trial went to jury in October 2019. He was sentenced to 25 years with a minimum of 18 years to serve. (report)
79. November 15: Justin Deandre Underwood, 25, was found shot to death in a hallway at an apartment complex . No arrest. (report).
80. November 17: Kameron Kerron Dumas, 16, was shot to death in the front yard of a home on Alabama Avenue in West End in the course of a robbery following a dispute over a gun transaction. Aaron "Shoota Man Gang" Thomas, the alleged shooter, was charged with capital murder. He pleaded guilty to felony murder and was sentenced to serve 30 years in prison. James Reynolds, his alleged accomplice in the robbery, was charged with felony murder, but was acquitted at trial. (report)
81. November 17: Jamal Christopher Holder, 29, an employee of Interstate Protection and Escort Service at 9609 Parkway East, was shot to death during a fight between two other workers. Stephanie Brown was arrested and charged with reckless manslaughter. (report)
82. November 20: Rodney Carlton Square, 48, was stabbed to death during a fight with two neighbors in the driveway of a house at 3622 Doby Avenue in East Brownville. The alleged attacker, Dwight Philsanders Hinton, was arrested while being treated at UAB Hospital and charged with Square's murder. Hinton claimed a "Stand Your Ground" defense, but it was rejected by Judge Virginia Vinson in a February 2017 hearing. Hinton became disruptive when testifying in his defense at trial in February 2018, provoking Vinson to declare a mistrial and order a mental evaluation. Hinton was convicted in July 2019. (report)
83. November 23: Tyrone Rashane Staton, 33, an accused marijuana trafficker, was shot to death by another passenger while riding in a car on the 200 block of 8th Avenue West. Terrance Crawford was arrested in December and indicted by a grand jury in August 2016. He was convicted of capital murder at trial in September 2018 and sentenced to life in prison without parole by Judge Clyde Jones. (report)
84. November 24: Roderius Lee White, 31, was found shot to death in the front yard of a house on the 800 block of 45th Place North. He was apparently struck twice by crossfire during a gunfight between other parties. Wilbert Deandre Hayes was arrested in February 2016 and charged with White's murder. (report)
85. November 27: Borapa Williams, 42, was found dead from a gunshot wound outside a vacant apartment building at the former Larkway Gardens Apartments off 15th Place Southwest and Monroe Avenue in Southwest Birmingham. Brittany Odom, a suspected accomplice, was arrested and charged with capital murder. Another suspect is sought. (report)
86. November 28: James Earl Rogers, 27, was shot to death outside his home near the intersection of 1st Street West and 9th Avenue West in Smithfield. No arrest. (report)
87. November 30: Mario T. Sparks, 30, was shot to death in the driveway of a home on the 5400 block of Wintergreen Avenue in the Brownville community. Cedric Young, in custody on a fugitive warrant from a 2014 attempted murder case, was charged with Sparks' murder. (report)
88. December 1: Richard Bernard Smith, 59, was shot to death outside his house on the 700 block of 81st Place South in South East Lake. Several people were taken into custody for questioning. No charges have been filed. (report)
89. December 5: James Morgan Jr, 56, was shot in the chest on the 2400 block of 9th Court South in the SouthTown Homes project while he was walking with a woman. Fessor Raynard Pearson, with whom Morgan had been involved in a previous altercation, was arrested and charged with murder. His September 2018 trial before judge Teresa Pulliam was declared a mistrial after one juror searched for Pearson's criminal record online. He was acquitted in his second trial in February 2019. (report).
90. December 5: Kenneth Erwin Scott Jr, 29, was shot in the stomach in an alley in Tom Brown Village housing project, off the 500 block of 41st Street North. Witnesses saw a white male flee the scene in a maroon Ford F-150. Jonathan Burns turned himself in the following day and was subsequently charged with capital murder. He was indicted on that charge by a grand jury in August 2016 and scheduled to go to trial in May 2018. Scott's sister, Stephanie "Nikki" Loyde, was killed in 2017. Burns was found dead at his home in Trussville from apparent suicide in March 2018. (report)
91. December 12: Jason Charles Jones, 31, was shot in a vehicle at 2100 South Park Drive. He managed to flee, but crashed near the intersection of Avenue V and 47th Street near the Birmingham Police Department West Precinct office. No arrest. (report)
92. December 17: Randolph Ismail Stanley, 30, was found shot to death in the driver's seat of a Lexus at the intersection of Princeton Avenue and 12th Street Southwest. No arrest. (report)
93. December 20: Diane McGlown, 47 was killed along with two young boys in an automobile collision at the intersection of Jefferson State Parkway and Alabama State Highway 79 (Pinson Valley Parkway) in Sun Valley. She was riding in the back seat of a Mitsubishi sedan with the boys. The driver and front seat passenger were seriously injured, but survived. Lawrence Jason Bewley, who was driving a Dodge van with a blood-alcohol level more than twice the legal limit, was indicted by a grand jury on three counts of murder and three counts of reckless manslaughter in June 2016. He pleaded guilty to the manslaughter charges and was sentenced to serve 15 years in prison. The other charges were dismissed as part of the plea agreement. (report)
94. December 20: Cardell Coachman, 8, was killed in the same collision.
95. December 20: Jakobe Johnson, 8, was killed in the same collision.
96. December 21: Cedric Lamar Yarbrough, 25, died from a gunshot wound suffered while he was chasing burglars fleeing his residence on Meg Drive. He crashed his car near the intersection with Sam Pate Drive and died later at a hospital. Raymarquail Moore was arrested in December. He was indicted for capital murder in June 2016. Before his trial in August 2018 Moore pleaded guilty to felony murder and sentenced by Judge Stephen Wallace to 25 years in prison. (report)
97. December 25: Cortez Lamar Burroughs, 31, was found shot to death in an SUV parked on the 5000 block of Martin Luther King Jr Avenue. Investigators believe the shooter was inside the vehicle. No arrest. (report)
98. December 27: Eric Nicholaus Walton, 22, was fatally wounded in a shootout at The Park at Callington and Carlyle apartments at 913 Stoneridge Road. He was taken to UAB Hospital in a private vehicle and pronounced dead there. A suspect was found wounded in a bathtub at an apartment on the scene. The fight began when a fight between two women over a child escalated. Another suspect, Anton Tecory Grant Oden, was charged with murder and attempted murder. He turned himself in to police on January 11. (report)
99. December 27: Yancy Hodge Clark, 32, owner of BCW Insurance, was found in a burning car which crashed into a house on the 100 block of 2nd Avenue Southwest at around 7:00 PM. He was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital and it was later determined that he had been shot before losing control of his car. He was ambushed my multiple assailants at a grocery store on the corner of Goldwire Street and 1st Avenue Southwest just outside Loveman Village. A former girlfriend with whom he had been having heated arguments was present, and may have instigated the assault, but was not charged. Travis Chanvez Vanhorn, Travion Vanhorn and Tyrese Malik Sanders were arrested in March 2016 and charged with capital murder. Though Vanhorn was not indicted in that case, he later pleaded guilty to another murder and was sentenced to 30 years in prison. (report)
100. December 29: Ronald Smith, 53, was found dead in a home at 253 22nd Avenue West. No arrest. (report)

Responses

Mothers Who Want The Violence To Stop organized a candlelight vigil at the intersection of 3rd Street and 4th Terrace North in Smithfield to memorialize the victims of the May 4 triple homicide. William Bell joined neighborhood president Shirley Floyd and Reverend Dwayne Thompson at the service, which also raised $1,000 to help the victims' families cover the expense of funerals.

In October, the 10th annual "Party With a Purpose" was hosted at Ensley Park by City Councilor Steven Hoyt and grocer Anthony Marino. The event seeks to advance lasting solutions for violence in the community through fellowship, job fairs and other entertainments.

Implementation of a "Violence Reduction Initiative" began in 2014. The program mirrors a successful initiative in Boston, Massachusetts and other cities that utilizes academic research done at Harvard University under criminologist David Kennedy. The research showed that a large share of violent crimes were committed by and against a relatively small segment of the population, which is also fairly closely knit into harmful associations. Coordinators research court records, parole records, and social media to develop a short list of those most likely to engage in violent crime. Then they bring them into a staged meeting with an array of local and federal officers to send a strong, coordinated message about the dire consequences of murder, not just on one suspect, but on all of their associations. The desired result is for those groups to begin policing themselves to avoid attracting the extra attention. In addition to "the stick", the program offers individuals a "carrot,", pairing them with a case worker that can work with them to break out of the circumstances that lead them to commit crimes.

Local officials such as Mayor William Bell, Birmingham Police Department Chief A. C. Roper, United States Attorney Joyce Vance, Jefferson County District Attorney Brandon Falls and Treatment Alternatives for Safer Communities were already interested in the program when incoming Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham direct Chris Nanni began connecting them to potential sources of funding. His Community Foundation partnered with the Alabama Power Foundation to underwrite the first two years, with the idea that the city would budget for the program thereafter if it was successful. Jarralynne Agee is the program's director in Birmingham.

See also

• List of homicides in 2015
• Birmingham homicides by year
• Crime in Birmingham

References

• Smith, Mike D. (May 7, 2015) "Friends, family remember Smithfield triple murder victims at candlelight vigil." The Birmingham News
• Stein, Kelsey (October 2, 2015) "Party with a Purpose aims to end violence in Ensley, unite community." The Birmingham News
• Patterson, Nick (December 8, 2015) "Murder in the Magic City 2015." Weld for Birmingham
• Patterson, Nick (December 17, 2015) "Murder in the Magic City: The Crime Fighters." Weld for Birmingham
• Robinson, Carol (December 27, 2015) "Murder and mayhem as children turn killers in 2015." The Birmingham News