The 26-year-old Hoover man who was killed with a hammer in his apartment Monday night today was identified by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office as Shunoah Turner.
Turner was a leasing agent for the Park at Galleria apartment complex off Lorna Road, according to his Facebook page.
According to Hoover police, he was killed by his roommate at another Hoover apartment complex — Renaissance at Galleria — off Galleria Woods Drive and John Hawkins Parkway about 1.5 miles away. The two complexes are managed by the same company.
That company, Dayrise Residential, issued a statement today, saying the company is deeply saddened by the loss of Turner, who was the top salesperson for April. “He was a valued contributor and will be greatly missed,” the statement said. “Our thoughts and sympathies go out to his friends, co-workers and families.”Turner’s roommate, 21-year-old Ledarius Jaquad Peterson, was charged with murder Tuesday.
Police received a call about the attack at the 5000 building of the Renaissance at Galleria complex at 10:22 p.m. Monday.
A woman who was visiting the apartment and present when the attack began said Peterson attacked Turner and then left in Turner’s vehicle, police Lt. Keith Czeskleba said. Police said they found Turner dead in the bedroom of his apartment with severe injuries to his face, head and torso. Next to his body, they found a hammer which apparently had been used in the attack, Czeskleba said.
Hoover police issued an alert for the stolen vehicle to surrounding law enforcement agencies, and Bessemer police stopped Peterson in it on Academy Drive. Peterson had blood on his clothing and was taken into custody without incident, police said.
Peterson was still in the Jefferson County Jail in Bessemer this morning on charges of murder and theft of property, with bond set at $130,000.
The two men had lived at the Renaissance at Galleria for less than a month, but police were unsure if they had been roommates elsewhere, Czeskleba said.
This was Hoover’s first homicide of the year. Police ask anyone who has information about the case to call Sgt. Clint Blackmon at 444-7582.