In the quiet town of Alexander City, Alabama, the life of a 4-month-old infant, Cho'Zen Zy'Aire Weaver, was tragically cut short on June 18, 2026. Responding to a distressing call about a child who had been shot, officers arrived at a residence in the 1500 block of J Street to find the infant grievously wounded. Despite the immediate efforts of fire medics who arrived at the same time as the police, and his subsequent transport to Russell Medical, the young boy was pronounced deceased shortly
after his arrival. The investigation into the heartbreaking death of the male infant swiftly pointed toward a suspect who was tragically close to him.
The Alexander City Police Department identified 21-year-old Ameyun May, the child's father, as the individual responsible for his death. May was arrested and charged with the murder of his son. In the days following the incident, further details emerged during a preliminary hearing in a Dadeville courtroom. Investigators testified that the infant, Cho'Zen, was in a bouncy seat placed on a couch at the time of the shooting. An Alexander City Police Department detective described a small entrance wound on the baby's face with burn marks around his nose and mouth, suggesting the firearm was discharged in very close proximity to him. The detective, who was present at the autopsy, stated that the preliminary opinion was that the gun was mere centimeters from the infant's face when it was fired. The trajectory of the bullet, which had an exit wound at the back of his head, led the detective to believe the shooter was standing over the baby.
During the investigation, Ameyun May's account of the events reportedly changed. He initially denied the presence of a gun in the home, then suggested it had discharged accidentally when his 3-year-old daughter was on the couch. However, investigators testified that a gunshot residue test on May's hands came back positive, while only trace amounts were found on the hands of the 3-year-old. The 3-year-old daughter, in an interview with the Tri-County Children's Advocacy Center, reportedly stated multiple times that "Ameyun shot my brother" and described the gun as black, also mentioning that he "threw the gun in the trash." A Glock. 40 caliber handgun was later recovered from a neighbor's outdoor trashcan after May informed police of its location. May also admitted to having smoked marijuana before the incident. At the conclusion of the hearing, the judge denied bond for May, citing a "gross disregard for human life," and the case was bound over to a grand jury. May was charged with intentional murder and second-degree possession of marijuana and was being held in the Tallapoosa County Jail. As of mid-July 2026, there have been no publicly available updates regarding a grand jury indictment, a trial date, or any subsequent conviction or sentencing in this case, which remains a deeply troubling and sorrowful event for the community.
