On a Sunday morning in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, the life of 53-year-old Willie Haywood Jr. was tragically cut short. On September 5, 2021, deputies from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office responded to a call about a shooting at a residence in the 4400 block of 20th Street around 9:15 a.m. Upon their arrival, they discovered Mr. Haywood, a male victim, deceased at the scene from gunshot wounds.
The investigation by the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit revealed a grim sequence of events
stemming from a domestic dispute. Authorities detailed that a verbal argument between Haywood and 25-year-old Lashana Henderson escalated with deadly consequences. In a heartbreaking turn, Henderson allegedly armed herself with a pistol and opened fire on Haywood while he was holding her 2-month-old infant daughter.
The gunfire that claimed Haywood's life also struck the infant he was holding. While Haywood succumbed to his injuries at the scene, the baby was critically wounded. First responders rushed the infant to a hospital for emergency medical care, where she was listed in critical condition. The incident left the community shaken by the loss of life and the severe injury to a defenseless child.
In the immediate aftermath, investigators took Lashana Henderson into custody. Following questioning, she was arrested and charged in connection with the fatal shooting. The charges brought against her were severe, reflecting the grave nature of the crime. Henderson faced a charge of capital murder for causing a death in the presence of a child under the age of 14, as Haywood was the parent or legal guardian of the infant. Additionally, she was charged with domestic violence assault in the first degree due to the serious injuries inflicted upon her own child. Henderson was subsequently booked into jail, with a bond set at $60,000 for the assault charge, while the capital murder charge carried no bond.
