A sudden wave of gun violence on a summer afternoon in Montgomery left two young men dead and the city reeling. Dekeith Whatley, 26, a Black man from Prattville, was found with multiple gunshot wounds inside his car at a barbershop on Upper Wetumpka Road on July 12, 2025. Emergency responders attempted to save him, but he was pronounced dead at the scene.

Less than a mile away that same afternoon, 27-year-old Malik Benson was found shot to death on North California Street. Investigators reported the two homicides were connected, describing them as part of a related series of violent events that day. Authorities later arrested 19-year-old Cordericus Thomas and charged him with murder in the deaths of Whatley and Benson; no motive has been publicly released.

If anyone witnessed activity on Upper Wetumpka Road or North California Street on July 12, or has information about either victim’s movements that afternoon, please come forward to assist the investigation.