A sense of security was shattered on the evening of February 4, 2021, in Birmingham, Alabama, when two-year-old Major Noah Omari Turner, a Black male, was tragically killed. The young boy was inside his apartment in the Kimbrough Homes Housing Community with his mother when gunfire erupted from outside, striking them both.
The community was shaken by the senseless act of violence that cut short a life that had barely begun.
Major Turner was rushed to a local hospital, where he valiantly fought for his life for several hours before ultimately succumbing to his injuries. His mother was also wounded in the shooting but survived. The incident prompted an immediate and intensive investigation by the Birmingham Police Department, as community leaders and family members made emotional pleas for justice.
Exactly one year after the fatal shooting, on February 4, 2022, authorities announced a significant development in the case. The Birmingham Police Department, in conjunction with the Jefferson County District Attorney's Office, identified 24-year-old Clearence Speed Jr. as the suspect. Homicide detectives presented their findings, which led to a felony murder warrant being issued for Speed.
At the time the warrant was served, Speed was already incarcerated in the Jefferson County Jail. He was being held on a separate and unrelated capital murder charge stemming from a different homicide that occurred in January 2022. For the death of Major Turner, Speed was charged with felony murder, with his bond set at $1.5 million. The arrest brought a measure of relief to a grieving family and a community still mourning the loss of a young child.
