In the late afternoon of Friday, March 19, 2021, the parking lot of the Roebuck Plaza Shopping Center in Birmingham, Alabama, became the scene of a fatal shooting that claimed the life of 25-year-old Lazonathan Rhodes. A Black / African American male, Rhodes was in the shopping center's parking lot at approximately 3:50 p.m. when an argument broke out.
The dispute escalated, leading to gunfire.
Officers from the East Precinct were dispatched to the location at 9120 Parkway East after receiving reports of a person shot. Upon arrival, they discovered Rhodes with gunshot wounds. He was quickly transported to UAB Hospital, but his injuries proved to be fatal, and he was pronounced dead upon arrival. The preliminary investigation suggested that both Rhodes and a second individual, who was also shot and sustained a non-life-threatening injury, were involved in the initial altercation. The second person later arrived at St. Vincent's East Hospital by a private vehicle. Several vehicles in the vicinity were struck by bullets, but no other bystanders or businesses were reported to have been hit.
The Birmingham Police Department's investigation into the homicide led them to identify 18-year-old Ja'Marcus Jordan of Hueytown, Alabama, as the suspect. Less than a month after the shooting, on April 13, 2021, detectives presented their case to the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, which resulted in a murder warrant being issued for Jordan's arrest. Three days later, on April 16, 2021, a search warrant was executed at a residence in McCalla, Alabama, where Jordan was taken into custody.
During the search, authorities seized five guns and an unspecified quantity of narcotics, which led to a further investigation. Ja'Marcus Jordan was charged with the murder of Lazonathan Rhodes and transported to the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held on a $250,000 bond. Rhodes, born on August 13, 1995, to John Rhodes and Emma Jones, was the 19th murder victim in the city of Birmingham in 2021.
