In the spring of 2015, a young life was tragically cut short in Birmingham, Alabama. Lemarkus Hamilton, a 19-year-old Black male, was fatally wounded on Friday, March 20th. The incident unfolded in the 1000 block of Tuscaloosa Avenue, where an argument escalated into a violent confrontation. Hamilton had reportedly been in a dispute with his mother's boyfriend when another man intervened.
This third individual, later identified as 21-year-old Chanze Jones, allegedly grabbed Hamilton in a
bear hug. Following a brief struggle, witnesses reported seeing Jones shoot Hamilton multiple times. The young man sustained gunshot wounds to his head and stomach. After the shooting, the suspect fled the scene on foot. Birmingham Police Department officers responded to the call around 4:10 p.m. and discovered Hamilton lying at the bottom of an apartment staircase.
Emergency medical services from Birmingham Fire and Rescue treated Hamilton at the scene before transporting him to UAB Hospital. Despite the efforts of medical personnel, Lemarkus Hamilton succumbed to his injuries two days later, on Sunday, March 22, 2015. His passing was officially ruled a homicide.
In the immediate aftermath of the shooting, law enforcement was able to locate and apprehend a suspect a few blocks away from the scene of the crime. The individual taken into custody was Chanze Jones. Following the investigation into Hamilton's death, a murder warrant was issued for Jones. His bond was set at $250,000, and he was subsequently held in the Jefferson County Jail.
