VCU: Gang Conflict Drove Shooting That Hurt 4 Minors, 3 Others; FBI Offers $10,000 Reward
A 23-year-old man is charged in the mass shooting that wounded seven people at a neighborhood reunion in west Tuscaloosa Saturday night, and the FBI is offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to others responsible.
Keyontae Jones was arrested and initially charged with eight counts of first-degree assault, said Capt. Jack Kennedy, co-commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit. That will drop to seven counts after investigators determined one person who told police they had been shot was never in the area.
Kennedy said the shooting appears to have grown out of gang activity, with one group seeking out another and opening fire in a crowded public space.
"This was one group encountering or actively searching out another group and engaging them in this large public space that was crowded with uninvolved persons," Kennedy said.
Four of the seven people shot were minors. The victims were 12, 14, two 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 40-year-old. Several were taken to Children's of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham.
Asked whether the young victims were caught in the crossfire or connected to the groups involved, Kennedy declined to say.
"I don't want to say that someone was involved in something that they weren't, but all of that is definitely part of the complex nature of this investigation," he said.
He said investigators believe there were multiple shooters and are still looking for more suspects, all of whom appear to be local.
"They were recklessly attempting to engage persons, and they may have struck some of their targets, and they also very likely struck many people that were not part of their targets," Kennedy said.
DeAnn Castillo, an assistant special agent in charge from FBI Birmingham, announced the $10,000 reward at a Monday news conference. It applies to the location, arrest and conviction of those responsible.
"First and foremost, we want to express our thoughts and prayers for the victims and our families, and we pray for a speedy recovery," Castillo said. "We're involved in this investigation at the request of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crime Unit. They will continue to be the lead investigative agency."
"Sometimes we face hesitance in the communities. People fear retaliation," she said. "But without their support, we're never going to clean up these streets."
The crime scene spanned multiple city blocks, and TPD's crime scene unit worked it through the night and into the next morning. Investigators also drew in the TPD cyber unit and SWAT team, U.S. Marshals and FBI task forces, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office Metro Area Crime Center.
Kennedy said one officer was close enough to respond within seconds and went straight to rendering aid.
"He was there on scene. He rendered immediate aid. It was chaos," Kennedy said.
The shooting followed an outdoor block party in the Shacktown neighborhood, a reunion of current and former residents that the city had permitted to run until 10 p.m. Kennedy said nothing about the party itself appears to have caused the shooting beyond the fact that both groups were present.
He said Jones is in the Tuscaloosa County Jail and is being held without bond pending a hearing where a judge will decide whether to grant one.
Kennedy asked anyone who was at the party to come forward, including people who have stayed quiet under the assumption that someone else will talk.
"There were dozens, if not hundreds, of people there when this occurred," he said. "That should not sway anyone to not come forward and think that other people will come forward."
Tips can go to the VCU at 205-464-8690, Crime Stoppers at 205-752-STOP, the TPD mobile app or the FBI tip line at fbi.gov/tuscaloosashooting.
For more exclusive coverage of crime and courts in West Alabama, stay connected to the Tuscaloosa Thread.
All Homicides Investigated in Tuscaloosa County in 2026
Gallery Credit: (Stephen Dethrage | Tuscaloosa Thread)
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