In the early hours of a Wednesday in Daphne, Alabama, the life of 45-year-old Yaphet Hunter was cut short in a burst of violence that shattered the morning quiet of his workplace. On June 16, 2021, Hunter, a contract worker at a local dirt pit on Friendship Road, was fatally shot following a dispute with a colleague. The incident, which transpired around 10 a.m., prompted a swift response from local law enforcement and emergency services.
Investigators arriving at the scene discovered
Hunter with a gunshot wound. Despite the efforts of medical first responders and the dispatch of an air ambulance, his injuries proved fatal, and he was pronounced dead at the scene. The tranquility of the worksite was replaced with the urgent activity of a homicide investigation as deputies from the Baldwin County Sheriff's Office began to piece together the events that led to the deadly confrontation.
The suspect in the shooting was quickly identified as Marcus Jermain Stallworth, a 44-year-old man from Mobile and a co-worker of Hunter's. The two men were reportedly engaged in an altercation when Stallworth allegedly produced a firearm and shot Hunter. The entire incident was captured on the business's security cameras, providing investigators with crucial evidence. Following the shooting, Stallworth fled the scene in a vehicle with another individual, who was later located and questioned by authorities.
A manhunt for Stallworth was immediately launched, with the U.S. Marshals joining the search. Their efforts led them to a residence in the Maryvale area of Mobile. In the early morning hours of the following day, Stallworth was apprehended without incident. He was subsequently booked into the Baldwin County Corrections Facility on a felony murder charge, awaiting a bond hearing. While the initial investigation pointed to a workplace dispute as the catalyst for the shooting, the specific details of the disagreement that escalated to such a tragic conclusion have not been publicly disclosed. Following the arrest, the case was set to be presented to the District Attorney's Office for progression through the legal system, including a preliminary hearing and consideration by a grand jury.
