On a summer evening in Birmingham, Alabama, the life of 42-year-old Graylin Lewis, a Black male, was tragically cut short. On July 19, 2012, while he was asleep inside his truck at George Ward Park, he was fatally shot. The following day, July 20, 2012, he was officially pronounced dead.
Lewis was remembered as a man with deep roots in his community, having grown up in the Cooper Green public housing community where he formed a lasting friendship as a child in 1980.
This friendship, which began on the little league football fields and saw a championship win in 1983, remained a strong bond throughout his life.
The circumstances surrounding his death pointed to a violent end to a life that had been defined by enduring connections. Despite the investigation into his murder, there is no publicly available information that indicates any suspects were ever identified or that any arrests have been made in connection with the shooting. The case, a somber chapter in the city's history, has left a void in the lives of those who knew him, with the quest for justice for Graylin Lewis remaining unanswered.
