In the cool evening of Friday, November 20, 2020, the life of 19-year-old Marquise Nunn was tragically cut short in Birmingham, Alabama. A young man, whose loved ones described him as goofy and smart with a talent for brightening even the worst of days, was pursuing a future as a barber. That evening, however, found him in the 2900 block of Avenue Z in the Ensley neighborhood, where violence irrevocably altered his path.
Just before 6 p.m., the sound of gunfire shattered the
neighborhood's calm. When Birmingham police officers arrived at the scene, they discovered Marquise Nunn suffering from gunshot wounds. He was rushed to UAB Hospital, a place of hope that would, for his family, become a place of profound loss when he was pronounced dead.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, there was a glimmer of potential justice. Law enforcement officials on the scene identified and took a person of interest into custody. The initial moments of the investigation suggested a swift resolution might be on the horizon. However, details regarding whether this individual was formally charged or if any other suspects were identified have not been made public. The story of what precisely transpired that November evening and who was ultimately responsible for the death of Marquise Nunn remains, in many ways, an unanswered question. His family was left to mourn a young man full of promise, his future stolen by an act of violence.
