On a fall evening in Tuscumbia, Alabama, a gathering to watch a college football game turned into a scene of deadly violence. James Michael Ronald "Mikey" Merritt, a 30-year-old Caucasian male, was fatally shot on November 9, 2019. The tragic incident occurred at a home in the nearby rural community of Littleville, where friends and family had convened to watch the much-anticipated game between Alabama and LSU.
Throughout the day, a tense atmosphere had been building between Merritt and
another man, David Allen Fulkerson. Their continuous arguing over the football game, fueled by alcohol, escalated as the night wore on. The dispute reached its fatal climax following Alabama's loss to LSU. In the heat of the moment, Fulkerson allegedly shot Merritt once in the face with a pistol.
Emergency services were called to the residence, and Merritt was rushed to Huntsville Hospital. He was placed on life support but succumbed to his injuries. In the wake of the shooting, Colbert County authorities swiftly took David Allen Fulkerson, then 31, into custody. Initially, he faced a charge of attempted murder. However, following Merritt's death, the charge was upgraded to murder. Fulkerson was subsequently held in the Colbert County Jail. Even in their grief, Merritt's family made the decision for him to become an organ donor, an act that saved three other lives.
