In the early hours of a Saturday morning in Dothan, Alabama, a dispute in a parking lot escalated into a fatal encounter for Brandon Lafayette Jones, a 35-year-old man. The incident, which occurred on January 10, 2026, began as a verbal and physical altercation between Jones and another individual over a minor parking issue.
The situation took a deadly turn when a third person, identified as 40-year-old Ted Carstiel Caldwell of Ozark, Alabama, intervened.
Witnesses reported that Caldwell produced a firearm and shot the unarmed Jones in the upper torso. Emergency services were called to the scene in the 3600 block of Montgomery Highway at approximately 4:00 AM. Jones was transported to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries shortly after arrival.
A swift and collaborative investigation between the Dothan Police Department and the Dale County Sheriff's Department led to the identification of Caldwell as the suspect. Later that same day, at around 7:15 PM, investigators secured a warrant for his arrest on the charge of murder. By 8:30 PM, Caldwell was located at a residence in Ozark and taken into custody without incident. He was subsequently booked into the Houston County Jail and is being held without bond.
Authorities revealed that Ted Carstiel Caldwell was known to the criminal justice system, with a history of arrests for various offenses in jurisdictions outside of Houston County, including a prior arrest for murder. The dispositions of these previous charges are not publicly known. The Dothan Police Department has asked for anyone with additional information about the incident to come forward.
