On the evening of January 17, 2025, 28-year-old Matthew James Brooks III was shot and killed in the parking lot of a Dollar General on Seale Road in Phenix City, Alabama. First responders pronounced Brooks dead at the scene at 9:50 p.m. The fatal shooting drew shock from family and friends, who mourned the sudden loss of a young life.

The Phenix City Police Department opened an intensive homicide investigation. Within days investigators identified and arrested a 16-year-old juvenile on a charge of murder; authorities did not release the teen’s name because of the suspect’s age. The case had been turned over to the legal system and was awaiting further proceedings.

If anyone witnessed the shooting or has information about that night in the Dollar General parking lot, please come forward to assist the investigation.