After 3 Arrests, Tuscaloosa Police Finally Detail Deadly Robbery

After weeks of investigation and multiple arrests, police in Tuscaloosa have finally shared details about a deadly shooting at Landmark Apartments that claimed the life of a 30-year-old man who was visiting a friend there.

Captain Jack Kennedy, the commander of the multi-agency Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said they have worked this case day and night since the killing took place around 10:30 on the night of January 28th.

Several men have been arrested in connection to the killing, including one suspect who was arrested in Shelbyville, Tennessee on Wednesday. Kennedy said details about the case could not be safely released while alleged participants were still at large, which is why the facts of the killing have been kept from the public for nearly three weeks.

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According to Kennedy and court documents obtained by the Thread, the victim was Demarkus Gejuan Hall, 30, who was also known locally as "Shrek," and was reportedly the target of a premeditated robbery that turned deadly.

In a Thursday afternoon press conference, Kennedy said police believe Hall was involved with the local drug trade. He was reportedly at Landmark to visit a friend and did not live there, but was specifically targeted and robbed there.

Police have arrested 31-year-old Rashad Jamal Aaron, 34-year-old Jamil Pierre Prentice and 44-year-old Kyandre Davincent Grant, and Kennedy said all have extensive criminal histories and took great pains to cover their tracks and evade capture.

Grant has been charged with capital murder during a robbery and was arrested in Shelbyville this week. Kennedy said Grant has already served a 20-year prison sentence that began in 1996 for a different murder committed during a robbery. He will be booked in the county jail after he is extradited here.

Aaron, 31, was charged with felony murder and robbery and was arrested on February 6th. He is in the Tuscaloosa County Jail where he is being held without bond.

Prentice, 34, has been charged with conspiracy to commit robbery and was arrested on February 1st. He has been released on bond but Kennedy said he is in police custody in another jurisdiction on another matter and is not "at large."

All three suspects are from the Tuscaloosa area and knew each other.

Kennedy credited the teamwork between the VCU and multiple other agencies, including the sheriff's office, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, US Marshals, the West Alabama Narcotics Task Force and more. He said this has been a full-court press to track down and capture the suspects involved in this murder.

Kennedy also said the investigation is not over and other arrests may follow. He credited citizen involvement for the speed of the three arrests so far and encouraged anyone else who knows more about the killing to contact the VCU.