On a Monday afternoon, the 9th of September, 2024, a burst of violence in a Bessemer, Alabama, parking lot irrevocably altered the course of many lives. James Sencer Bowen Jr., a 21-year-old Black male from Birmingham, was shot in the parking area of Engineered Plastics Components Inc. on Greenwood Parkway. The shooting occurred at approximately 3:45 p.m., a time when many would be concluding their workday.
Bowen was swiftly transported to UAB Hospital in a desperate attempt to save his life, but his injuries proved too severe, and he succumbed to them about an hour later.
The immediate aftermath of the shooting saw the Bessemer Police Department descend upon the scene to launch an investigation into the homicide. Authorities reported that the individual responsible for the shooting had fled in a vehicle, leaving a trail of questions in their wake. In the initial stages of the investigation, the police suggested that the shooting was an isolated incident and that there was no broader threat to the public. For over a year, the case remained without a resolution, and no arrests were made, leaving a community and a grieving family in suspense. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office officially identified the victim, solidifying the tragic reality of the young man's death.
A significant breakthrough in the case came more than a year later. On a Friday in November of 2025, the Bessemer Police Department announced the arrest of a suspect. Timothy Lacy Jr. was taken into custody and charged with the intentional murder of James Sencer Bowen Jr. An arrest warrant for Lacy had been issued in May of that year and was executed on the day of his arrest. Following his apprehension, Lacy was booked into the Jefferson County Jail. The relationship between Lacy and Bowen, and the motive for the fatal shooting, were not immediately made public by the authorities.
