On a Sunday afternoon in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, a day's calm was shattered by gunfire. It was March 13, 2022, when Marcus Winston Jr., a 25-year-old Black man, was standing in the front yard of a home on the 3000 block of 19th Street. At approximately 4:30 p.m., a white sedan occupied by three to four individuals drove past the residence, and those inside opened fire into the yard. The hail of bullets struck both Winston and a 2-year-old boy, Ashton Jones, who was also outside.
The two victims were not related. Winston was pronounced dead at the scene from his injuries, while young Ashton was rushed to DCH Regional Medical Center, where he tragically died later that evening.
The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit immediately began an intensive investigation to find those responsible for the double homicide. Authorities identified three persons of interest and announced that all had been located. Investigators questioned one of them, Kaleria Alicia Gilbert, but determined she was not involved in the shooting and was no longer considered a person of interest.
The investigation quickly led to two arrests the following day. On Monday, March 14, police located 19-year-old Tyrese Laquon Bell. After leading officers on a chase that ended when he wrecked his car, Bell was taken into custody. He was charged with two counts of murder, and his bond was set at $3 million. According to court records, Bell admitted to driving the vehicle during the attack, claiming that a juvenile passenger in the backseat had fired the shots that killed both victims.
Later that same night, authorities arrested a second suspect, a juvenile under the age of 18, who was charged with capital murder. In accordance with state law concerning minors, the identity of the juvenile was not released to the public. The case against Tyrese Bell proceeded to trial, where a Tuscaloosa County jury found him guilty of murder for his role in the deaths of Marcus Winston Jr. and Ashton Jones.
