Springhill Apartment Shooting Suspect Found Dead

A man who was suspected of shooting a 19-year-old at a Tuscaloosa apartment complex Thursday was found dead Friday, according to a statement from the Tuscaloosa Police Department.

The initial incident occurred late in the evening on April 15. Omar Childers, a Tuscaloosa resident, was found shot to death at the Springhill apartment complex located at 5050 36th Avenue East, just south of Skyland Boulevard.

Officers were called to the scene just after 11 p.m. Thursday where they found Omar Childers "deceased in his vehicle," according to Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit.

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"He had obviously been struck by gunfire," Kennedy said in a Friday morning press conference. "The Violent Crimes Unit responded to that scene and that investigation is active as of now as a homicide."

By the next morning, there were no identifiable suspects, but investigators were able to obtain a warrant for 26-year-old Darren Childers later that day. Darren Childers, the cousin of Omar Childers, was to be charged with capital murder.

However, Darren Childers was found dead in a vehicle parked in the parking lot of a local church, located near the 7400 block of Sanders Ferry Road, Friday afternoon.

Police were notified of Darren Childers' location by a woman's 911 call right around 3 p.m. Friday. She pulled into the parking lot behind the vehicle, which was stationary, and honked her horn for it to move.

"Officers responded and discovered Darren Childers deceased in the driver’s seat," a Friday evening statement from TPD read. "At this time, it appears that he died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound."

According to the statement, the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences is investigating to confirm the cause of death.

The Tuscaloosa Thread will update this story with more information as it becomes available. Stay connected.