In the late hours of a Tuesday night in Midfield, Alabama, a young man's life was cut short by violence, marking the city's first homicide of 2025. On February 11, 2025, at approximately 10:42 p.m., deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office were dispatched to a residence on Rayfield Drive following a report of a person shot. Upon their arrival, they discovered 21-year-old De’arrius Denard Starks suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Emergency medical services from the
Midfield Fire and Rescue Department responded to the scene but were unable to save the young man. De’arrius Denard Starks was pronounced deceased at the location of the shooting. The incident quickly became a homicide investigation, with detectives from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office taking the lead.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, details about the circumstances leading to Starks's death were not publicly released. Investigators began the process of gathering evidence and seeking information from the community. As of the day following the incident, no arrests had been made in connection with the shooting, and no charges had been filed. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office has encouraged anyone with information pertaining to the case to come forward and contact their office or Crime Stoppers to assist in the ongoing investigation.
