Two more people charged with capital murder, assault in Galleria shooting
The Jefferson County district attorney’s office today charged two more people — Birmingham teenagers — with capital murder and assault in connection with the July 3 shooting at the Riverchase Galleria that left an 8-year-old boy dead and three other people injured.
Hoover police tonight identified King Gary Williams and Demetrius Dewayne Jackson Jr., two 19-year-olds from Birmingham, as two people who returned fire after 22-year-old Montez Moses Miracle Coleman of Birmingham fired a pistol at them inside the mall Friday afternoon near the food court.
Bullets were whizzing everywhere, and 8-year-old Royta DeMarco Giles was killed, and three others were injured, Police Chief Nick Derzis said.
Coleman was arrested within minutes of the incident Friday and charged over the weekend with capital murder and three counts of second-degree assault. Williams and Jackson face the same exact charges. All three are being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.
Police on Sunday shared photos of Williams, Jackson and three other people who were together when they got into a confrontation with Coleman in the mall. Police Lt. Clint Blackmon said the confrontation was the result of an ongoing feud that came to a head in a mall.
COMMUNITY HELP
Police needed help identifying the people in surveillance footage. Once the photos were released Sunday, the public quickly helped identify suspects.
"Our detectives were inundated with calls from the community, identifying the individuals and relaying other information about the incident,” Derzis said.
Williams turned himself into Hoover police Sunday evening, and Jackson turned himself Monday afternoon, Derzis said. Police went and found the other three males in the photos, and all five were interviewed, he said.
Evidence revealed that Williams and Jackson were the two who returned fire, and those are the ones the district attorney’s office has chosen to charge at this time, Derzis said.
While the investigation is not complete, this is the first step in holding people accountable for this horrific act, he said.
“The way the community rallied together to bring these suspects to justice shows that this type of reckless behavior will not be tolerated,” Derzis said. “Nothing can bring Royta back, but it is our hope that one day his family will find peace in knowing that the people that took their baby away will have to answer for that in a courtroom.”
Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato said the Police Department’s handling of this case is a terrific example of the outstanding work the officers do to protect and serve the city.
“We’re going to work very hard to make the Riverchase Galleria a safe location for families to shop and enjoy themselves like they have almost the last 30 years,” Brocato said. “We have a great partnership with the mall owners, and we have been working the last two days to improve security, police presence, technology at the mall. All of these things are going to have to tie in to restore the confidence to those that visit that mall each and every day.”
Derzis, when asked about having a police substation at the mall, said police already have an office there that is used actively during the holiday season and at other times when needed. Discussions are ongoing to see what other measures need to be taken, but those plans are not yet solidified, he said.
The mall has been around for a long time, and the issues with shootings have primarily taken place in the past couple of years, Derzis said.
“Our mall, just like any other mall in the country, is a safe place,” he said. “It’s not safe when people pull guns out and start shooting each other, and that happens other places as well.”
It’s important to keep in mind how many people were killed across the country over the Fourth of July weekend, Derzis said.
“Something’s got to stop. This is just literally insanity,” he said. It’s crazy that teenagers feel comfortable to carry guns to the mall and pull them out and start shooting when they get mad at someone, he said.
“I’m not sure how to stop it. I’d be a multi-millionaire if I did. I just hope that all this community — the whole metropolitan area — can come together after this tragedy and work on trying to make all of our communities a safer place.”
PRAYER VIGIL
Hoover Councilman Derrick Murphy today announced a prayer vigil that will take place Thursday at 6:30 p.m. in the parking lot of the Macy’s department store at the Galleria.
Family members of Giles, clergy, city and county officials and members of the mall’s management team all are scheduled to be present, Murphy said.
It’s important to pray for Giles’ family, for other victims, for others who experienced the trauma at the mall that day, for first responders and for the community as a whole, Murphy said.
“We must also address the issue of gun violence in our region. Our young people have too many easy avenues through which they can obtain guns today,” Murphy said. “That, coupled with their inability or unwillingness to solve disagreements effectively is leading to the loss of too many lives. There must be a change; it must start now, and it must start with the heart.”