In the summer of 2020, a life was tragically cut short in Birmingham, Alabama. On the night of July 15th, Antonio Jermell Jackson, a 23-year-old male, was found with a gunshot wound inside a residence in the Southtown housing community. Emergency services were dispatched to the scene, and Jackson was quickly transported to UAB Hospital for medical attention.
Despite the efforts of medical professionals, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead on July 16, 2020.
The Birmingham Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into the shooting. Their inquiries and evidence gathered from the scene soon pointed them toward a person of interest. The investigation led them to Ronald LaVance Steen of Birmingham, who had been recently apprehended in Shelby County on unrelated drug charges. Believing they had their suspect, detectives worked to secure a warrant for his arrest in connection with Jackson's death.
A capital murder warrant was officially obtained for Ronald LaVance Steen. Authorities planned to transfer him to the Jefferson County Jail to face the new charge following the resolution of his pending case in Shelby County. The swift identification of a suspect brought a small measure of progress in a case that had suddenly and violently ended a young man's life, leaving a family to mourn and a community to seek answers.
