Self-Defense Claim 'Credible' After Shooting Kills 1, Wounds 1

No arrests have been made in the aftermath of a Friday morning shooting in Tuscaloosa County that left one man dead and another injured after investigators said it may have been in self-defense.

Captain Marty Sellers, the co-commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said they were called around 9:40 in the morning on Friday to respond to Billy Bingham Road in Samantha, a rural community in north Tuscaloosa County.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Deputies had been called there on reports of a shooting and found one man dead, and another suffering from gunshot injuries that Sellers called non-life-threatening.

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Witnesses were able to tell police about potential suspects and the vehicle they might be traveling in, and as VCU investigators took over the case, the vehicle was spotted, although Sellers said it was occupied by someone who was not involved in the shooting.

"That led to information that allowed deputies and investigators to locate the suspect. He was taken into custody," Sellers said. "After interviewing all involved parties and collecting evidence at the scene, investigators were able to determine that there was a self-defense claim on the part of the shooter in the case that appears to possibly be credible at this time."

In cases where a homicide may have been a matter of defense, the VCU does not immediately arrest those who were involved and instead conducts a full investigation and gives that information to the district attorney's office.

The DA presents the case to a grand jury, who decides if criminal charges are warranted.

"The dead man will not be identified at this time pending notification of the family," Sellers said.

If a Thursday shooting death at McKenzie Court bears out to be a tragic accident as suggested Friday morning, the Samantha shooting would mark the first homicide investigated by the VCU this year.

They handled 21 cases in 2025.

For more exclusive coverage of crime and courts in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.