Landyn Brooks was a bright, happy, and outspoken 5-year-old boy from Birmingham, Alabama, who loved to smile. A Black male, he played football for the Wahouma 5U team, where he wore jersey number 3. His family remembered him as a smart child who always tried to make them laugh. His mother, 28-year-old Arkia Berry, was a licensed cosmetologist, and the two were described by a cousin as being "like two peas in a pod."
Landyn's head coach recalled being with the young boy less than two hours before he died.
On the evening of July 13, 2024, Landyn, his mother, and her 28-year-old boyfriend, Eric Ashley Jr., were found deceased inside a blue sedan in the Echo Highlands neighborhood. First responders were initially called to the 1700 block of Indian Summer Drive for a vehicle accident. When they arrived, they discovered the car had crashed in the front yard of a home and was riddled with bullets. All three occupants had been killed by gunshot wounds in what police believed was a targeted shooting. Investigators said Ashley may have driven the car a short distance after the shooting before crashing.
In the days that followed, grieving family and community members held vigils to remember the victims and call for justice. Landyn's grandmother, Tammy Brooks, recalled taking him to the water park, the science center, and church. A reward of $25,000 was offered for information leading to an arrest in the case, and Crime Stoppers reported receiving numerous calls from the community.
For months, the case remained unsolved, but in February 2025, authorities announced a breakthrough. The Birmingham Police Department, working with the U.S. Marshal Service's Fugitive Task Force and the State of Alabama Pardons and Parole team, arrested 25-year-old Jacorrian McGregor. He was taken into custody in the Killough Springs area of Birmingham.
McGregor was charged with capital murder in the deaths of Landyn Brooks, Arkia Berry, and Eric Ashley Jr. He was booked into the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held without bond. Following the arrest, the case proceeded through the legal system. On August 7, 2026, a Jefferson County grand jury indicted Jacorrian McGregor on three counts of capital murder. As of August 2026, the case was awaiting trial.
