In the Ensley neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, a 27-year-old male named Lemijamin Jarquis Watters lost his life in a shooting on the evening of Saturday, March 15, 2025. The incident occurred at the intersection of 16th Street and Avenue J, where officers from the West Precinct discovered Watters unresponsive inside a vehicle shortly after 9:00 p.m.
He had sustained a gunshot wound and was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation into the homicide led Birmingham police to identify a suspect, Marty Persons Jr. Evidence gathered by detectives indicated that an altercation between Watters and Persons preceded the fatal shooting. This confrontation escalated to the point where Persons allegedly fired at least one shot, which struck and killed Watters. The preliminary findings suggested that the two men were acquainted with each other prior to the deadly encounter.
Following the investigation, the case was presented to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office, which determined there was sufficient evidence to move forward with criminal charges. A capital murder warrant was subsequently issued for the arrest of Marty Persons Jr. He was taken into custody and booked into the Jefferson County Jail, where he is being held without bond.
