On a Sunday evening in Northport, Alabama, the community of Northwood Lake was shattered by violence. On September 24, 2023, Demetrius Damon Windham, Jr., a 24-year-old male, was fatally shot outside his residence on Northwood Lake Drive West. The attack was not random; investigators quickly determined that it was a targeted ambush. According to authorities, a vehicle had been observed waiting in the area for a significant amount of time, lying in wait for Windham to emerge from his home.
When he finally stepped outside, he was shot and killed on the scene. The assailants fled immediately after the shooting, leaving a stunned neighborhood and a grieving family in their wake.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit took the lead in the investigation, treating the case as a top priority. They pieced together evidence, including witness statements and surveillance footage from the area, which proved crucial in identifying the individuals they believed to be responsible. Their efforts led them to two men from Birmingham. The first break in the case came just over two weeks after the shooting, in early October 2023, when authorities arrested Antwaun Dewayne Pledger-Payton, a 40-year-old man, and charged him with murder. At the time of his arrest, investigators announced that they were actively seeking at least one other person of interest.
The search for the second suspect continued for months. The Violent Crimes Unit, with the assistance of U.S. Marshals, applied steady pressure in their search for the remaining person of interest, who they had identified as 39-year-old George La Darius Warren. The extensive manhunt came to a close in July 2024, when Warren surrendered to authorities at the Tuscaloosa County Jail. He was subsequently charged with murder, bringing the search for suspects in the death of Demetrius Windham to an end. With Warren’s surrender, investigators stated they believe all individuals involved in the planning and execution of the ambush have been apprehended.
