In the early morning hours of a Friday in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a tragic series of events unfolded that ended the life of 20-year-old Derrick Wilder Jr. Around 2 a.m. on June 16, 2023, a vehicle arrived at the Tuscaloosa Police Department's West Precinct carrying Wilder, who was suffering from a gunshot wound. Despite the urgent efforts to get him help, he was pronounced dead shortly after their arrival.
The investigation that followed moved swiftly, with law enforcement agencies working
together to piece together what had happened. The scene of the shooting was identified as the Creekwood Village Apartments located in west Tuscaloosa. Through witness interviews and a review of video evidence, investigators determined that Wilder had been the victim of a robbery that had taken a fatal turn.
Within hours, a suspect was identified. Due to being under the age of 18, the suspect's identity was not publicly released. A warrant for capital murder was issued, and with the assistance of the Tuscaloosa Police Department Special Response Team and the US Marshall's Task Force, the juvenile suspect was located and taken into custody. During subsequent searches related to the investigation, authorities recovered some of the property that was stolen from Wilder. They also found narcotics and at least one firearm, which led to charges against another juvenile, who was not the suspected shooter. The alleged shooter was charged with capital murder and held without bond.
