In the early hours of Thursday, March 27, 2025, the quiet on Helen Street in Prichard was broken by gunfire. Neighbors reported hearing a rapid series of shots around 12:15 a.m., then a car speeding away. When residents went outside they found 35-year-old James Wright, a Black male, dead in a driveway from an apparent gunshot attack; yellow crime tape and tire marks were visible at the scene.

The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office opened a homicide investigation and, within days, arrested two 21-year-olds, Jadedeon Letrell Blount and Kenneth Leonard Padgett, in connection with Wright’s killing. Authorities have said more arrests may be forthcoming as investigators continue to piece together what happened that morning.

Anyone who heard or saw anything in the Helen Street area around midnight on March 27, 2025, or who has information about the people or the vehicle that left the scene, is asked to contact investigators.