Ronald DeShawn Smith Jr., known to loved ones as “Boonie,” was a 24-year-old man from Birmingham, Alabama. Remembered by those who knew him as funny, goofy, and loving, he was a father whose life was just beginning. His presence brought joy to his family and friends, who cherished his personality and the warmth he shared with them. His life, full of potential, was tragically and violently ended in the fall of 2021, leaving a void in the hearts of those who cared for him.
On the evening of Friday, November 12, 2021, a burst of intense gunfire shattered the peace in a southwest Birmingham neighborhood. Around 6:30 p.m., a ShotSpotter notification alerted the Birmingham Police Department to more than 30 rounds being fired in the 1100 block of 33rd Street Southwest, near the Serenity Apartments at Valley Creek. When West Precinct officers arrived at the chaotic scene, they discovered a car that had been riddled with bullets.
Inside, they found a devastating sight.
In the backseat of the vehicle, both Ronald Smith Jr. and his friend, 22-year-old Anthony D. "Boosie" Murry Jr., were found unresponsive. Both men had sustained multiple gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel shortly before 7:00 p.m. Outside the car, officers located two other men who had also been shot. Their injuries were determined to be non-life-threatening, and they were transported to UAB Hospital for treatment. The deaths of Smith and Murry marked the city's 92nd and 93rd homicide investigations of that year.
Detectives with the Birmingham Police Department's Homicide Division immediately launched an investigation. The initial assessment suggested that the shots were fired from outside the vehicle in a targeted attack. Investigators recovered several weapons from within the car where the victims were found. For more than a year, the case remained under active investigation, with police appealing to the public for any information that could lead to an arrest. The families of Ronald Smith and Anthony Murry were left waiting for answers and justice.
A significant breakthrough came on April 27, 2023. The Birmingham Police Department announced the arrest of 19-year-old Koreon Desan Johnson in connection with the double homicide. Johnson was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshals Task Force. He was formally charged with two counts of capital murder for the deaths of Smith and Murry, as well as two counts of attempted murder for the wounding of the other two men. At the time of the November 2021 shooting, Johnson had reportedly been out on bond for a separate murder charge from September 2021.
Following his arrest, Koreon Johnson was booked into the Jefferson County Jail, where he is being held without bond while awaiting trial. While authorities have not released an official motive for the shooting, some reports have suggested a possible connection to conflicts within the local drill rap scene, where Johnson was known as an artist.
In the days after his death, family and friends gathered to remember Ronald Smith Jr. A service to celebrate his life was held on Wednesday, November 17, 2021, at the Central Missionary Baptist Church in Birmingham. The community came together to mourn the loss of a young man taken far too soon and to support a family grappling with an unimaginable tragedy.
As of late 2023, the case against Koreon Johnson is proceeding through the court system. While an arrest has been made, the investigation remains technically open. The Birmingham Police Department continues to ask anyone with information to contact the BPD Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
