In the early morning hours of August 15, 2020, a violent encounter in the New Canaan community of Cullman County, Alabama, resulted in the death of 24-year-old Levi Benjamin Lawrence of Cullman. Lawrence, a White male, had been invited to a residence on County Road 1854 by acquaintances. The situation escalated into a fatal shooting that also claimed the life of 36-year-old Dalton Matthew Bannister of Blountsville and left a woman seriously injured.
According to the Cullman County
Sheriff's Office, the incident was the result of a planned robbery. Investigators determined that Tyler Dwight Dooley, 26, of Arab, and Bannister had conspired to rob Lawrence. When Lawrence attempted to leave the residence, he was confronted by an armed Bannister. Lawrence, who was also armed, defended himself, and an exchange of gunfire ensued, resulting in the deaths of both men at the scene.
In the days and weeks that followed, law enforcement made several arrests in connection with the deadly altercation. Tyler Dwight Dooley, who fled the scene after the shooting, was located and arrested in Arab. He was subsequently charged with murder in the death of Levi Lawrence. The investigation led to further arrests, with 21-year-old Jacob Andrew Drane of New Canaan and 20-year-old Samantha Star Robertson of Blountsville also facing murder charges. Additionally, 48-year-old Ricky Dale Martin of New Canaan was charged with unlawful possession of drug paraphernalia.
Cullman County Sheriff Matt Gentry stated that Lawrence was acting in self-defense during the robbery attempt. He also noted that both Bannister and Dooley had criminal histories and described them as a 'failure of the system.' The sheriff's office expressed their condolences to the family of Levi Lawrence as the investigation and subsequent legal proceedings began to unfold.
