In the Arlington-West End neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, the life of Willie Sanchez Henderson, a 31-year-old Black / African American male, was cut short on the evening of December 16, 2023. At approximately 5:42 p.m., the sound of gunfire shattered the calm on the 1200 block of Princeton Avenue Southwest, prompting neighbors to alert the authorities.
Responding Birmingham Police Department officers arrived to a grim scene inside one of the residences.
Upon entering the home, they discovered Willie Sanchez Henderson unresponsive, having sustained a fatal gunshot wound. Despite the immediate response from Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services, his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced deceased at the scene. Initial investigations by law enforcement suggested that the shooting was not a random act of violence, but rather a targeted incident. In the immediate aftermath, however, no suspects were taken into custody, leaving a community shaken and a family searching for answers.
The investigation into Henderson's death continued, and in the weeks that followed, a suspect was identified. On January 23, 2024, the Birmingham Police Department's Crime Reduction Team located and arrested 20-year-old Augustus Artez Benson Jr. in North Birmingham. Benson was subsequently charged with murder in connection with the shooting. It was later revealed that Benson was not a stranger to the victim's family; he was known to be a friend of one of Henderson's family members. Following his arrest, Augustus Artez Benson Jr. was held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
