Family of Aliceville Teenager Killed by Police Say He Was Unarmed

The family of an Aliceville teenager who was fatally shot by a Homewood Police Officer Monday night says he was unarmed and not resisting when he was killed.

As the Thread reported previously, Jabari Latrell Peoples was shot during an interaction with a Homewood Police Officer at a park near Lakeshore Boulevard.

Police issued a statement saying the 18-year-old from Aliceville "engaged in a physical altercation with the officer and then produced a handgun" before the officer shot him.

On Wednesday, the family of Jabari Peoples rejected that narrative and said the teenager was not armed, not aggressive, and not resisting when he was shot.

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In a lengthy post to Facebook sharing their official statement, the family said the Homewood Police Department never notified them about the shooting - they only found out from the Jefferson County Coroner's Office more than 12 hours after Peoples died at UAB Hospital.

"Contrary to reports and assumptions being pushed publicly: Jabari was not armed. He was not aggressive. He did not resist. He complied," their statement read. "He was approached by an individual in an unmarked vehicle, with no lights, no sirens, and no visible identification. That officer exited the car, tapped on the window, and told the occupants to exit. They followed directions. Jabari complied — and within seconds, he was taken to the ground and shot. A witness was present. That person saw everything. There was no weapon. There was no threat."

The family said Peoples was a 2024 high school graduate now attending college and "had a future" before he was killed by police Monday.

They said they have not been given an incident report, been allowed to view body camera footage, or spoken to anyone from Homewood Police in the aftermath of the shooting.

In their statement, they demand the release of that information and video footage, identification of the officer involved, and a full, independent investigation of the incident.

At the time of this writing, their statement had been shared more than 24,000 times on social media.

For more coverage of this case as it develops, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.