In the late hours of a Saturday in September 2016, a life was tragically cut short in Kimberly, Alabama. Coy Lynn Bartlett, a 20-year-old male, was at a gathering in the 400 block of Park Avenue when a dispute turned fatal. At approximately 11:48 p.m., authorities received a distress call about an individual with a gunshot wound. Upon arrival, Kimberly Police and Jefferson County Sheriff's Office deputies discovered Bartlett suffering from a gunshot wound to the head.
He was rushed to UAB Hospital, but his injuries proved to be too severe, and he was pronounced dead.
The investigation into the shooting quickly led to an arrest. Aaron Thrift, 21, also of Kimberly, was taken into custody and charged with the murder of Coy Bartlett. The two young men were not strangers; they had been friends and both previously attended Mortimer Jordan High School. The incident, which took place at Thrift's home, reportedly stemmed from a verbal altercation that escalated, culminating in Thrift shooting Bartlett with a shotgun.
In the days that followed, the community mourned the loss of a young man described as having a sweet love for others. His family, including his parents, stepparents, and siblings, were left to grapple with the sudden and violent end to his life.
The legal process moved forward, and though Thrift applied for youthful offender status, his request was denied. In February 2018, a Jefferson County jury convicted Aaron Cory Thrift for the murder of his friend. Two months later, in April 2018, the 22-year-old was sentenced to life in prison for the senseless act of violence that ended Coy Lynn Bartlett's life.
