Marquis Dewon Moorer, a 25-year-old Black / African American police officer, was a four-year veteran of the Selma Police Department described by the local district attorney as an upstanding officer who took his job seriously. In the predawn hours of July 27, 2021, his life was cut short in what authorities called an ambush. Officer Moorer was on duty and had returned to his residence at the Selma Square Apartments for a meal break between 3:30 and 4:00 a.m. when an assailant opened fire.
He was fatally shot outside the building, and a woman described as his significant other was also wounded in the attack.
The killing of an on-duty officer sent shockwaves through the community. Selma’s police chief requested that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency's State Bureau of Investigation lead the homicide probe. Investigators from the SBI, along with officers from the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the U.S. Marshal’s Service, and several judicial task forces, worked nonstop through the night. They followed up on tips and leads, quickly identifying a person of interest.
The intensive, multi-agency effort led to a swift arrest. On the morning of July 28, less than 36 hours after the shooting, 18-year-old Javonte Cornuis Stubbs was apprehended near Tuscaloosa. The arrest was carried out by the U.S. Marshals-Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and SBI Agents. Stubbs, a former high school football standout, was subsequently charged with Capital Murder of a Law Enforcement Officer, Capital Murder for shooting into an occupied dwelling, and Attempted Murder. He was taken to the Chilton County jail and held without bond.
The case against Stubbs proceeded through the justice system, bringing a final resolution for the murder of Officer Moorer. He ultimately pleaded guilty to multiple felonies for the killing and the wounding of his companion. For his crimes, Javonte Stubbs was sentenced to life in prison plus an additional 20 years. The case was officially closed with the conviction and sentencing in February 2023.
