In the quiet of a February evening in Birmingham, Alabama, the life of two-year-old Major Noah Omari Turner was tragically cut short. On February 4, 2021, the young Black male was inside his home in the Kimbrough Homes Housing Community with his mother when gunfire erupted from outside, piercing the walls of their apartment. Major was struck by the gunfire and, despite being rushed to a hospital and fighting for several hours, he succumbed to his injuries on February 5, 2021.
His mother was also wounded in the shooting but survived.
The senseless act of violence that claimed the toddler's life sent ripples of grief and outrage through the Birmingham community. Vigils and balloon releases were held in his honor as community leaders, law enforcement, and residents called for an end to gun violence and demanded justice for the young victim. The Birmingham Police Department launched an intensive investigation into the shooting, working tirelessly to identify those responsible for the heartbreaking loss.
Exactly one year after the fatal shooting, on February 4, 2022, a significant breakthrough in the case was announced. The Birmingham Police Department arrested 24-year-old Clearence Speed and charged him with the murder of Major Turner. At the time the warrant was served, Speed was already incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jail on a capital murder charge for a separate and unrelated homicide that occurred in January 2022. He was held on a $1.5 million bond for the murder of Major Turner.
