Tuscaloosa Police Link Gang to At Least 10 Local Shootings in Yearlong Investigation

A violent gang allegedly responsible for at least 10 shootings in the Tuscaloosa area and over a million dollars in financial crimes has been identified, investigated and indicted in a triumph of local police cooperation.

Law enforcement leaders from most local agencies and a few federal organizations joined the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit for a press conference announcing the fruit of their yearlong investigation on Friday morning.

At the press conference, VCU Commander Captain Jack Kennedy said their unit has worked this case since January 2024, and in their investigation, they linked together 10 separate local shooting incidents as well as credit and bank fraud that allegedly resulted in over a million dollars in losses.

The shootings included a murder case in Pickens County and several local incidents that saw innocent bystanders injured.

The VCU and its partners linked individuals and incidents together using various investigative tools, including surveillance footage, phone and bank records, witness interviews, forensic studies and more.

"By utilizing these advanced forensic and electronic resources, many crimes that are committed by the same person or group of persons can now be linked together more easily than may have been done in the past," Kennedy said.

Ultimately, prosecutors presented the findings of the investigation to a grand jury and indicted 10 individuals on 75 different crimes.

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Kennedy said that because the suspects were allegedly acting as a group, it opened them up to new charges made possible under Alabama's Criminal Enterprise Act. Critically, this new law includes mandatory prison time if suspects are convicted of crimes they're accused of committing as members of a gang.

That means these suspects, allegedly responsible for at least 10 recent shootings, could all be going away for a very long time.

"In Tuscaloosa, we're tired of the crime," TPD Chief Brent Blankley said at the conference. "We hope this sends a message that hey, look, we're going to lock you up for a long period of time. We're going to lock you as long as we can as we possibly can, and if you get out and do it again, we'll do it again, too. We just want a safer community."

Kennedy and the VCU provided local media a list of the shooting incidents, which is included in its entirety below:

1. In July 2023, a man was shot in the face in broad daylight while he sat inside a vehicle at a gas station on the West side. Investigation found that the criminal enterprise believed this victim to be related to their gang activity, but they were mistaken, and the victim was an innocent bystander.

2. Just one week later, in July 2023, members of the criminal enterprise get into a shootout in Alberta with a rival gang member. Again, an innocent man was shot in the stomach.

3. In January 2024, members of this same criminal enterprise drove to a residence and shot into the occupied residence multiple times over a monetary dispute.

4. Also in January 2024, the same members of the criminal enterprise shot into an occupied apartment with a fully automatic rifle.

5. Also in January 2024, the same members of the criminal enterprise shot into a different occupied apartment in a different complex with the fully automatic rifle and a 9mm pistol.

6. Again, January of 2024. They shot into an unoccupied residence with the fully automatic rifle.

7. April 2024. The criminal enterprise wore masks and got out on a group of individuals. One member allegedly tried to shoot one of them, but the gun did not fire. A shoot out ensued as they left the complex. No victim has come forward or been identified in this case.

8. April of 2024. Multiple members of the criminal enterprise get into a large shootout in Coaling, AL. A pistol outfitted with a conversion device, making it fully automatic, was used. One occupied vehicle was shot into, and 3 unoccupied vehicles were shot into. Miraculously, no one was killed.

9. May of 2024. Multiple members went to an apartment complex and shot approximately 100 rounds into 6 occupied apartments, 1 unoccupied building, and 1 unoccupied vehicle. They also stole a motorcycle about an hour before this shooting.

10. May of 2024. Kenneth Duncan, and others, committed a capital murder in Pickens County, AL. That case is currently pending in Pickens County, and questions concerning it should be directed to them.

They also provided a list of those charged - they are:

1. Kenneth Duncan, age 23

• Assault 1st Degree
• Discharging Into Occupied Dwelling X 6
• Discharging into Occupied Vehicle X2
• Discharging into Unoccupied Building
• Theft of Property 1st
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle X4
• Criminal Enterprise Use of a Machine gun (Switch)
  (30-year Sentencing Enhancement)

2.Tommy Summerville, age 32

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 7
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Building
• Participating in a Criminal Enterprise
  (10 year Sentencing Enhancement)
• Criminal Enterprise Use of a Machine gun (Switch)

3. Donterio Nickson, age 23

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 3
• Criminal Enterprise Use of a Machine gun (Switch) X 2
  (30-year Sentencing Enhancement)
• Also federally charged with Possession of Machine Gun

4. Jakilyn Nevels, age 23

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling
• Discharging into Occupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle X 3
• Participating in a Criminal Enterprise
  (10-year Sentencing Enhancement)

5. Steven Hill Jr, age 24

• Theft 1st Degree
• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 6
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Building

6. Antwone Stowe

• Discharging into Occupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle X 3

7. Fredrick Micken
Discharging into Occupied Dwelling
8. Juvenile charged as adult

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 3
• Certain Person Forbidden to Possess Pistol

9. Juvenile charged as adult

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 6
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Building
• Certain Person Forbidden to Possess Pistol

10. Juvenile charged as adult

• Discharging into Occupied Dwelling X 6
• Discharging into Unoccupied Vehicle
• Discharging into Unoccupied Building
• Certain Person Forbidden to Possess Pistol

Kennedy said taking this group off the streets could have a discernible impact on violent crime in the area. He said police believe there are also other groups of loosely organized gangs working together locally, but nothing like some major US cities have historically faced.

"I don't think they are the nightmare scenario that a lot of people visualize when you think about this sort of thing. We have lots of small groups of associates that start doing things together that are criminal," Kennedy said. "As for the idea that we have a godfather or kingpin or something, we don't think we have that."

Watch the full VCU press conference announcing the arrests below.

This is a developing story and more information will be added to this report.