Nicholas Kenneth Ratliff, 36, was fatally shot on December 6, 2025, in Bessemer, Alabama. Ratliff, a Detroit resident, was found with fatal gunshot wounds along 9th Avenue North on a Saturday night; the coroner and local authorities ruled the death a homicide.

Bessemer Police canvassed the area for witnesses and evidence and opened an active investigation. No suspects were immediately taken into custody, and authorities have not released a description of any potential assailants. After forensic examinations in Alabama, Ratliff’s remains were returned to Detroit for visitation at New McFall Brothers Funeral Home and a funeral at Triumph Church East Campus.

What information about Ratliff’s presence in Bessemer or the circumstances that night might help investigators — did anyone see him on 9th Avenue North that evening?