Laquita Charisse Dunn, a 49-year-old Black woman described as a family friend, was killed on August 8, 2024, during a shooting spree in Birmingham, Alabama, that authorities called domestic in nature. The violent rampage, which unfolded across two different homes, also claimed the life of a 76-year-old man and left two other people with life-threatening injuries.
The series of events began around 4:45 p.m. when police were dispatched to a home in the 1600 block of Dennison Avenue.
Inside, they found Ms. Dunn suffering from a gunshot wound. Emergency medical personnel pronounced her dead at the scene. Officers learned that a man had also been shot at the residence but had already been taken to a local hospital. A relative later told reporters that the violence erupted over $250 that the shooter, his nephew, had tried to steal from Ms. Dunn. He said his nephew shot her after she confronted him about the money.
After the initial shooting, the gunman traveled a few blocks to a second home in the 1400 block of 17th Place Southwest. There, he shot two more people. Officers arriving at the second scene found a man and a woman inside, both with gunshot wounds. The man, identified as 76-year-old Anthony Jackson, was pronounced dead. The injured woman was described as his longtime girlfriend.
Police identified the suspect as 31-year-old Kerry Jackson Jr., the grandson of Anthony Jackson and the son of the man wounded at the first location. He was taken into custody at 9:15 p.m. that same night in the Five Points West business district. After being interviewed by homicide detectives, Kerry Jackson Jr. was formally charged with two counts of capital murder and two counts of attempted murder.
The suspect's uncle told the media that his nephew struggled with drugs and that his actions were "unforgivable." As of August 2024, Kerry Jackson Jr. was being held in the Birmingham City Jail without bond as he awaited legal proceedings.
