An 18-year-old from Winfield has been charged with murdering another young man outside a hotel in downtown Tuscaloosa Saturday night.

Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said TPD officers were called to the Embassy Suites at 2410 University Boulevard, where a 21-year-old was found dead on the scene from a single gunshot wound.

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Investigators flooded the area and although homicide was not initially suspected, within hours, the VCU had spoken to numerous witnesses and identified a suspect.

Kennedy said police believe 21-year-old Howell Booth Holland, III and his friend, 18-year-old Jackson Luke Overton were in an argument outside the hotel around 9 p.m. when Overton retrieved a firearm from a vehicle and shot Holland a single time, but the 21-year-old was dead when police arrived.

Kennedy said no one involved in this incident was staying at or connected to the hotel - they were reportedly in town visiting downtown clubs and bars and had their vehicle parked at the Embassy Suites. Holland was reportedly from Fayette, and Overton lived in Winfield.

Overton has been arrested and charged with murder in connection to the shooting. He is being held in the Tuscaloosa County Jail without bond pursuant to Aniah's Law.

The homicide is the 19th the VCU has investigated in Tuscaloosa County so far in 2024.

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