On a late summer evening in Birmingham, Alabama, a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts turned into a scene of deadly violence. It was outside the Showstoppers Motorcycle Club on Coosa Street on August 30, 2014, that a violent altercation erupted, ultimately claiming the life of 47-year-old Wilbert Hawkins, a male member of the host club. The confrontation escalated into a gunfight, and when the chaos subsided, Hawkins and another man, 48-year-old Steven Hicks of the Wheels of Soul Motorcycle
Club, lay dead. Two other individuals were also wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
Investigators quickly determined that the shooting was not a random act of violence but rather a targeted event rooted in an ongoing feud between rival motorcycle clubs. Authorities believed that members of the Outcast Motorcycle Club arrived at the Showstoppers' event armed and initiated the confrontation. The violence that unfolded was thought to be connected to other recent violent incidents in the region involving these rival groups, including the murder of a rapper in Georgia just a week prior.
In the wake of the deadly shootout, law enforcement identified a primary suspect, James Edward Armstrong III, who was a member of the Outcast Motorcycle Club. He was located and arrested in Rockdale County, Georgia. Armstrong was subsequently charged with capital murder in connection with the deaths of both Wilbert Hawkins and Steven Hicks. He was extradited to Alabama to face trial for his alleged role in the bloody altercation that cut two lives short.
The legal proceedings against James Edward Armstrong III culminated in a trial in November of 2016. Despite the evidence presented by the prosecution, the jury ultimately found Armstrong not guilty. He was acquitted of all charges related to the murders of Wilbert Hawkins and Steven Hicks, leaving the question of accountability for their deaths officially unresolved in the eyes of the law. The case highlighted the violent and often fatal consequences of rivalries within the motorcycle club community.
