Damone Gardner, a 34-year-old Black man from Birmingham, Alabama, was a son whose life was lost in what his mother called a "senseless crime." In the wake of his death, his mother, Emma Selina Rose Gardner, started a fundraiser to help with his burial, thanking friends and family in advance for their support.
On the evening of September 24, 2024, around 8:20 p.m., police were called to the 300 block of 27th Street Southwest in the city's Germania Park neighborhood.
When officers arrived, they found Damone Gardner lying unresponsive in the street. He had an apparent gunshot wound, and Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services pronounced him dead at the scene.
The preliminary investigation suggested that Gardner had been involved in an argument with a suspect just before he was shot. His death was the second homicide to occur in the neighborhood in just five hours. Less than a mile away, another man had been shot and killed earlier that afternoon. Detectives began investigating whether the two fatal shootings were connected.
For several months, the case remained under investigation. Then, in January 2025, Birmingham police announced a breakthrough with the arrest of a suspect. Brandon Jemison was taken into custody and charged with murder for his alleged role in Damone Gardner’s death.
Following his arrest, Jemison was booked into the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held without bond to await legal proceedings. As of January 2025, the case against him was moving forward through the court system.
