On the evening of August 5, 2017, in Bessemer, Alabama, the life of Kelvin Dewayne Yelling, a 47-year-old African American man, was tragically cut short. Police responded to a call of a shooting at an apartment complex at approximately 8:45 p.m. and discovered Mr. Yelling suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Present in the apartment at the time of the fatal shooting were four small children.
At the scene, officers arrested Charles Edward Yelling, the 22-year-old biological son of the victim. Detectives with the Bessemer Police Department subsequently obtained a warrant charging Charles Edward Yelling with murder. His bond was set at $75,000. At the time of his arrest, the motive for the shooting was still under investigation.
Kelvin Yelling, known to some as "Kewayne," was born in Bessemer and attended Bessemer City Schools. He was a member of Petty's Chapel African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church and was employed as a truck driver for Standard Furniture Company. His death left behind his parents, Charles and Betty Marks Yelling, his wife, Valencia Yelling, and his children, Stephaney Jackson, Kevin, Jr., Charles, and Keon Yelling, as well as several siblings and other relatives. His homegoing service was held at Petty's Chapel, followed by interment at Valhalla Cemetery.
