In the fading light of a December evening in Dothan, Alabama, the life of 21-year-old Alfonso Morrissette, a Black / African American male, was irrevocably altered. On December 14, 2022, shots rang out in the 1300 block of Alexander Drive, with Morrissette as the intended target. He managed to escape injury that day, though the bullets found their mark on nearby homes and vehicles, a grim foreshadowing of what was to come.
The Dothan Police Department identified two young men, 20-year-old Zyshawn Codaun Coker and 19-year-old Keith Shakur Helms, as the individuals responsible for this initial act of violence. In the wake of the shooting, Coker was apprehended and faced a litany of charges, including attempted murder and shooting into an occupied building.
The very next day, on December 15, 2022, the violence that had narrowly missed Morrissette returned with lethal finality. At approximately 6:58 P.M., back at the same Alexander Drive location, a firearm assault was reported. Morrissette was struck by a single gunshot to his upper torso. He was rushed to Southeast Health in a private vehicle, his condition critical. Despite the urgent efforts of medical staff who took him directly into surgery, Alfonso Morrissette succumbed to his wound and was pronounced deceased at the hospital.
A lengthy and meticulous investigation into the homicide followed. For nearly a year, detectives pieced together the events that led to Morrissette's death. Their focus eventually centered on one of the suspects from the previous night's shooting. On December 11, 2023, investigators secured a warrant for the arrest of Keith Shakur Helms on the charge of murder. Helms was already incarcerated at the Houston County Jail on unrelated charges when he was served with the new warrant. A bond for the murder charge was set at $1.5 million.
The legal process moved forward, and in August 2024, a Houston County grand jury handed down an indictment against Helms for the murder of Alfonso Morrissette. With the indictment, the case was set for trial, scheduled to begin in November of that year, as Helms remained in custody at the Houston County Jail. The arraignment was scheduled for early September, marking the next step in the pursuit of justice for the life that was cut short on that winter evening.
