Carol Robinson | crobinson@al.com

16 children died in homicides in 2017

2017 was a particularly tragic year for the youth of Jefferson County. There were 16 children under the age of 18 whose deaths were ruled homicides by the Jefferson County Coroner's Office, though not all of them were deemed criminal acts that yielded formal charges. By definition, a homicide is when one person kills another whether intentional or not.

The tally as of Dec. 28 is more than double the number of children under the age of 18 killed in 2016 and the highest number in 10 years. Here is a year-by-year look at those numbers:

2017-16

2016 - 6

2015 - 13

2014 - 2

2013 - 9

2012 - 7

2011 - 6

2010 - 12

2009 - 4

2008 - 12

2007 - 6

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Tyron Bennett

Tyron Bennett, a 17-year-old Fairfield High Preparatory School sophomore, was gunned down outside his best friend's home on Jan. 17 as the two prepared to walk to school.

The shooting happened sometime around 8:20 a.m. in the 800 block of Valley Road. Neighbors heard two shots and a car pull off. When the gunfire was over, Tyron Bennett collapsed on his back on the walkway in front of his friend's house. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Bennett was the oldest of four siblings who lived with their mother on Valley Road. Each morning, he would walk to his friend's house two doors down to get his best friend and they stop back by his own house to pick up his sister. The three would then continue on to school. Neighbors said Bennett was a rare young man for his age. He cut grass, raked lawns, washed cars and ran errands for the elderly. He also had a job sweeping at the local barber shop.

"He was an upcoming entrepreneur,'' said the Rev. LaJuan Lewis of St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church and a family friend. "He swept the floors at the barber shop to make money. He didn't get out in these streets and sell drugs to make money. He did it the right way. I respected him, and so did many others in the community."

No one was arrested in Bennett’s death.

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Juzahris Webb

Juzahris Webb, 17, was fatally shot in Birmingham on Jan. 31 while he and a friend were walking home from school.

The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. in the 3200 block of Cedar Avenue Southwest, just out of eyesight of Wenohah High School, where Webb was a student. Webb and his friend were walking to the friend's grandmother's house on Hemlock Avenue when a car passed them at an intersection.

It appears the car turned around, and drove back by the teens.Someone inside the vehicle opened fire, and Webb was shot in the stomach.

After the shooting, the two teens ran back to the nearby Coleman Auto Parts and Sales, with Webb clutching his abdomen. The victim collapsed on the floor just behind the counter, telling shop employees, "Somebody shot me. Call the police."

"He was a real kind person,'' said Webb's father, Chris Major. "Everybody loved him."

Three teens were arrested in connection with his death. Dequerius Tyrell Fair, 17, and Monsure Davis, 18, were both charged with capital murder. Sha Quon Edwards, 18, was charged with first-degree theft of property in connection with a stolen car the teens were in during the shooting.

The shooting reportedly stemmed from a disagreement over a girl. The charges are capital because the shots that killed Webb were fired from a vehicle.

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Isaiah Johnson

Isaiah Johnson, a 17-year-old Wenonah High School student, was shot to death Tuesday, Feb. 7, 2017 on Second Avenue South downtown Birmingham. Police Chief A.C. Roper said the teen was shot while he was trying to buy a gun in a deal brokered on Facebook.

The shooting happened about 2:50 p.m. on Second Avenue South at 18th Street. in front of the Railroad Square office building. The victim was 17-year-old Isaiah Johnson, and was there to exchange guns and buy an additional gun in a deal that was brokered on Facebook.

They met in a nearby alley and one of the young men opened fire from a vehicle, striking Johnson. The suspects fled the scene.

"It is so unfortunate that some of our young people are making poor decisions and losing their lives,'' Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper told Al.com. "For example, this victim and his group planned to buy a gun from this other group so they met in an alley. The transaction was coordinated over Facebook and the victim knew the suspects."

The shooter - whose name has not and will not be released - agreed to trade a rifle to 17-year-old Isaiah Johnson and his friend, and that's not a crime, officials said. The shooting was ruled justifiable because he acted in self-defense after Johnson pulled a weapon on him first. That’s why the shooter wasn’t charged.

Police said Johnson’s friend was charged with murder because the killing happened while the pair was trying to rob the man who ultimately shot and killed Johnson.

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Nassir Battle

Nassir Battle, 11, was found unresponsive in his bed in his 80th Street South home on Friday, March 3, 2017.

Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said police responded about 5 p.m. March 3 to a home in the 800 block of 80th Street South. When they arrived on the scene, they found the 11-year-old unresponsive with only a shallow pulse. He was taken to Children's of Alabama where he was pronounced dead at 7:36 p.m.

"He was very outgoing,'' said Robin Battle, Nassir's grandfather. "He was a fun-loving kid."

"He liked to dance and play video games,'' Battle said.

His mother’s boyfriend, 35-year-old Tracy Dickerson, was charged with capital murder in Nassir’s death.

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Kayla Mendenhall

Kayla Mendenhall, 12, was shot to death during a family gathering in Leeds on April 30.

The shooting happened at 8:16 p.m. at a home in the 4100 block of Oak Trail Way. Authorities said Kayla and an adult family member were playing around and wrestling. The adult family member, whose name and relationship hasn't yet been released - was wearing a gun and that gun discharged.

Kayla was struck in the upper leg. She was taken to Children's of Alabama, where she was pronounced dead at 9:26 p.m. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled Kayla’s death a homicide because she died at the hands of someone else, but the shooting was also deemed accidental so no criminal charges were filed.

Kayla was in the 6th grade at Leeds Middle School. Superintendent John Moore said she was a wonderful student who played trombone in the school band. "She had never been in trouble day of her life in school,'' Moore said. "She was a wonderful student, always had a smile. She was just clearly a ray of sunshine."

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La-Corey Thomas

La-Corey Thomas, 15, was killed in a shootout on June 2, 2017 in Birmingham's Smithfield neighborhood.

The shooting happened at 3:19 p.m. that Friday at Center Street and 9th Avenue West. When Birmingham police and fire medics arrived on the scene, they found La-Corey in the front passenger's seat of a silver Kia Optima. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Birmingham police spokesman Lt. Sean Edwards said two other teens were believed to be in the Kia with La-Corey. They were driving north on Center Street when two to three black males opened fire on their vehicle. Those inside of the vehicle returned fire as they attempted to flee the scene. "They were all into it,'' Edwards said. " "It's apparent they were shooting as well, so we had everybody shooting back and forth at each other."

Investigators found at least eight shell casings a half block away, and Edwards said they believe the shooting happened there and then the car stopped where it was later found by police. "There might have been a pursuit after the shooting,'' Edwards said. "The two individuals in the vehicle might have exited the vehicle and started a pursuit but they all vanished once the police got here."

No arrests were made in his death.

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Ta'Leayah Stafford

Ta'leayah Stafford, 4 died July 12 after she was shot in Birmingham's Kingston community.

The shooting happened about 3:30 p.m. on Sunday, July 9, on 47th Street North in the Kingston community. A dispute erupted, though police have not confirmed what they were arguing about.

Authorities said Antonio Fowler and the girl's father returned to the scene of the dispute, bringing the 4-year-old girl with them, said Lt. Sean Edwards. Fowler and the father got out of their vehicle, leaving the little girl inside the vehicle. Fowler apparently pulled a gun and gunfire erupted between him and the other man, who has since claimed self-defense under Alabama's Stand Your Ground law.

The little girl in the vehicle was shot in the head. She was driven by private vehicle to St. Vincent's Hospital. She was then transferred to Children's of Alabama in critical condition, where she died three days later. A 68-year-old woman and her 11-year-old granddaughter were driving through the area when at least one bullet entered their car, striking the grandmother in the neck. She drove herself to a nearby fire station and ultimately was transferred to UAB Hospital.

Fowler was charged with one count of attempted murder and two counts of first-degree assault. Court records do not indicate that a murder charge has been filed against him.

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Ron'Narius "Duke" Austin

Ron-Narius "Duke" Austin, 2 was shot in the head and killed on Aug. 5, 2017 while riding in a vehicle with his parents and another man. His mother was shot in the arm, and the other victim was shot in the back. Duke's father was not injured.

Birmingham police responded to the Avondale district just before 11:30 p.m. that Saturday where they found the three wounded victims. Duke was shot in the head. His mother was hit multiple times in the arm and the unnamed driver of the vehicle was shot in the back. Ronald Austin was in the back seat with his son, and was not injured. He was holding Duke when police arrived on the scene.

Police said the shooting happened at least a block away, but they stopped next to the Chevron across the street from Avondale Common House. Officers patrolling the area- a popular night spot - heard what they described as multiple, rapid shots fired and rushed to the scene. The actual gunfire erupted in the alley in the 4200 block of Fourth Avenue South. A vehicle with at least four people in it was at some point involved in a shootout with someone inside the victims' vehicle. After the shooting, he said, the suspect vehicle left the scene. A gun was found in the back seat of the victims' vehicle.

Duke was his parents' only child. "He was a happy baby, and he was so smart,'' said his grandmother, Cheryl Irby. "He had an iPad and he didn't need us to tell him how to work it."

Duke loved cartoons, especially Mickey Mouse. "Mickey Mouse, that was his thing,'' Irby said. "He was just so bubbly."

Birmingham police announced capital murder charges against Tyrone Smith, 18, D'Marco Harris, 21, Mykahl Harris, 20 and Joshua Carpenter, 21. All charges against Carpenter, now 22, were dismissed last month by Jefferson County Circuit Judge Virginia Vinson.

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Antonio Foster

Antonio Foster, 16, died Aug. 19 after he was shot in the face inside a Birmingham apartment.

The shooting happened Aug. 15 inside an apartment in the Tom Brown Village housing authority. Police received a call from the 4100 block of Messer Airport Highway about the teen victim around 10:39 p.m. that night. Initially police said it appeared the teen accidentally shot himself, but coroner’s officials said he and a family member were playing with a gun they didn’t realize was loaded and it went off while in the hands of the family member.

Antonio was taken to Children's of Alabama where he was pronounced dead. Though the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the shooting a homicide because Antonio died at the hands of someone else, it was also deemed accidental and no criminal charges were filed.

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Terrius Hilliard

Terrius Hilliard, 15, was fatally shot on Sept. 6, 2017.

The shooting happened at 5:14 p.m. Authorities said Terrius, a Jackson-Olin High School student, and another young man were walking along Ensley Avenue toward the recreation center when a white Dodge Charger drove by them at the intersection of Ensley Avenue and 15th Street and someone opened fire. Lt. Sean Edwards said police found multiple shell casings in the street.

Terrius was shot in the chest. He tried to flee and collapsed in the 1800 block of Ensley Avenue. He was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 5:44 p.m.

Two teens - Jhontaye Cobb, 17, and Aubrey King, 18, - were charged with capital murder in Hilliard’s death, but those charges were dismissed in late October. Both still face felony charges in unrelated incidents.

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Levi Pointer

Levi Ellise Pointer, 2, died Sept. 21, 2017, and her mother's boyfriend was charged a week later.

Hoover police responded at 3:49 p.m. on Sept. 21 to a 911 call from The Retreat at Rocky Ridge apartments, said Capt. Gregg Rector. The call was placed by Melton, describing an unknown medical issue involving Levi. Firefighters arrived on the scene within four minutes, and found Levi in severe distress, Rector said. Hoover police detectives immediately responded to the hospital and launched their investigation. Melton, who was the sole caregiver of Levi that day, could not provide any explanation as to what may have caused the child to be in distress. She was rushed to Children's of Alabama where she was pronounced dead six hours later, at 9:45 p.m. The Jefferson County Coroner's Office, Rector said, determined that Levi suffered a significant skull fracture.

Derrick Pointer, Levi's father, said he is heartbroken at the loss of his only child. "She was just a joy to be around,'' Pointer said. "She was happy all of the time. She put a smile on everybody's face."

Dlonta Khalil Melton, 19, is charged with murder.

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Ta'Leah Burke

Ta'Leah Nicole Alexander-Burke, 18 months, died Sept. 26, 2017 at Children's of Alabama from blunt force trauma.

The toddler girl was taken unresponsive to Children's of Alabama late that Tuesday afternoon. The girl's 21-year-old mother told officers she left the child with her 19-year-old boyfriend while she ran to the store and arrived home to find her daughter unresponsive.

Police and firefighters were dispatched to Tempest Drive. They arrived to find the mother running down the street with Ta'Leah in her arms yelling for help. From there, the child was taken by ambulance to Children's, where she was pronounced dead at 4:25 p.m.

During questioning, the mother’s boyfriend said he and Ta'Leah's mother had been in an off-and-on relationship for about seven months. Edwards said the mother left the home earlier in the day, and had been gone for at least several hours.

He told police he got out of the shower to find Ta'Leah unresponsive. In October, police charged the boyfriend - 19-year-old Fredrich Earl Williams- with capital murder.

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Miracle McNeal

Miracle McNeal, 15, was killed Nov. 7, 2017 when up to 50 rifle rounds peppered the southwest Birmingham home where Miracle was in bed. Miracle was in her bed inside her home at 330 12th Street S.W. Her phone was plugged up next to her. It was about 11: 45 p.m. when a gunman or gunmen fired off dozens of bullets into the house. At least one of those tunneled through Miracle's headboard.

Police and family believe the Midfield High School sophomore started running for her life when one of those bullets struck her. Initially it appeared she was shot in the head, but an autopsy showed the bullet hit the girl in the left scapula and traverse across her chest.

There were five other people in the house at the time of the shooting - three young children, Miracle's adopted grandmother and a male relative. The grandmother, Bobbie Towns, was in her bedroom with a 2-year-old boy. The other two children were in their beds upstairs. The male family member was in the bathroom, having just arrived home from work and the store.

Miracle was on the A Honor Roll. "She was outgoing, so even though she was just a sophomore, she was friends with everybody in every grade,'' said Keith Hearon, assistant principal. "She was always smiling, laughing and joking. She was a good kid."

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Pervis "PJ" Polk

Pervis Andre "PJ" Polk, 17, was one of two people fatally shot on Nov. 16, 2017.

Polk and 51-year-old Jocklyn Manley were killed in an east Birmingham neighborhood. Manley lived in Ensley, and Polk on the city's eastside. Neither lived where the shooting happened.

Birmingham police responded about 8:30 a.m. that Thursday to the 200 block of 51st Street North. Once on the scene, police found both wounded. They said Polk was standing outside of the vehicle talking to Manley in a silver Mustang. It wasn't immediately clear whether they knew each other. Manley was pronounced dead on the scene at 8:50 a.m. Polk was rushed to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead at 9:06 a.m. Someone in a vehicle, police said, had approached the pair and opened fire. The suspect vehicle then fled the scene.

No arrests have been made.

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D'Mario Hall

D'Mario Hall, 3 months, died Dec. 7, 2017 at Children's of Alabama.

He was injured Dec. 4 during a fight at his family’s home. Police responded about 10 a.m. that Monday to the attie Gill Jackson Gardens public housing community. Police and medics were called to the apartment after a domestic dispute erupted there, said Fairfield Police Chief Nick Dyer.

When they arrived on the scene, they found D'Mario unresponsive. He was rushed to Children's of Alabama where he was declared brain dead that day. He remained on life support until he was officially pronounced dead at 2:15 p.m. three days later.

Authorities said the boy's father was holding the baby when Smith fought him and caused him to drop the baby onto the concrete floor. She then picked up D'Mario by his clothing and shook him and swung him, according to an affidavit in the case. D'Mario suffered a fractured skull, bleeding on the brain and retinal damage.

D'Mario's mother, 31-year-old Ratunda Smith, is charged with aggravated child abuse.

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Reynold Bonner III

Reynold Bonner III, 14, a freshman at Jackson-Olin High School, died Friday, Dec. 23, when multiple shots were fired outside KM Food Mart, also known as "Lambs," on 12th Street West, not far from Rickwood Field.

The shooting happened about 1:48 p.m. Multiple shots were fired, and Reynold was struck in the chest. A bystander performed CPR on the young teen, while police demanded a rush on the medics, according to video shot at the scene. At least one gun was recovered from the parking lot. Police recovered at least one gun from the store parking lot.

Reynold was taken to Children's of Alabama, where he died a short time later. Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the preliminary investigation uncovered two possible motives for the shooting. Investigators first received information that Bonner was shot in a drug transaction gone wrong. They later learned that Bonner may have been shot trying to rob another man. The alleged shooter voluntarily spoke with police, and has not been formally charged with any crime.

His sister, Jackie Patton, said they don't know all of the details that led up to the shooting, but said police and the media shouldn't be quick to judge, especially when the victim is someone's child. "Whenever you see a young black male passing and it has something to do with violence, the police always assume it's negative,'' she said. "I feel Reynold was at the wrong place at the wrong time. I don't seem him as being a troubled child."

"He was raised with both parents,'' she said. "However, I do know sometimes when you trust people whom you call friends, you end up in situations that become life-changing."