On the Fourth of July in 2024, Dietrich Lamont Boone Sr., a 45-year-old Black / African American man, was killed in a brazen shootout in a downtown Birmingham, Alabama intersection. The chaotic scene unfolded near a field where Boone was found shot, close to a car that had crashed into a power pole along 7th Avenue North in the Central City area. He was rushed to UAB Hospital, where he ultimately succumbed to his injuries.
Investigators at the scene recovered at least 50 shell casings,
indicating a massive exchange of gunfire. A witness who captured the aftermath on a Facebook Live video reported seeing at least one shooter, wearing a ski mask, firing a gun from a moving vehicle. It is believed that Boone, who had a gun near his body, was able to return fire before he collapsed. Birmingham police officials stated that it appeared Boone was specifically targeted.
The investigation into Boone's death led authorities to 28-year-old Montez Malike Ollison of Fultondale, who was later charged with capital murder. The motive for the shooting is believed to be an act of retaliation or "street justice" for a past event. Three years prior, in 2021, Dietrich Boone had fatally shot Travio Ollison, a relative of Montez Ollison. The 2021 shooting was investigated and ruled to be a justifiable act of self-defense, and Boone was not charged with any crime.
Prosecutors have stated there were multiple shooters involved in the incident that led to Boone's death, though only Montez Ollison has been identified and charged. The case against Ollison is built on evidence including an analysis of his cell phone records, which allegedly placed him in the vicinity of the shooting at the time it occurred. Additionally, ballistic evidence from the shell casings found at the scene was entered into the National Integrated Ballistic Information Network as part of the investigation.
Ollison's defense attorney has argued that the evidence against his client is circumstantial. He has pointed out that there are no eyewitnesses who have identified Ollison in a lineup and no DNA evidence directly linking him to the crime. The defense also contends that the presence of Ollison's phone in the area only proves the phone was there, not Ollison himself, and that a gun found in his apartment could have been brought there by someone else. Despite these arguments, the case against Montez Ollison is proceeding. Tragically, this was not the first time Dietrich Boone Sr. had been affected by violence; his own son was fatally stabbed in 2018.
