Shontez Deon Rhodes was 36 when he was shot and killed in Ensley, Birmingham, during the early morning hours of Monday, March 2, 2020. Rhodes had become stranded with car trouble at the intersection of Valley Road and Court I. A black SUV pulled up alongside his disabled vehicle, and a brief exchange preceded gunfire. Rhodes was struck and found unresponsive outside his car; he later died of his injuries.

Officers from the Birmingham Police Department’s West Precinct responded to a ShotSpotter alert and citizen calls around 1:14 a.m. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Shontez Deon Rhodes. Police say the incident arose from the car trouble, but the identity of the occupant or occupants of the black SUV has not been released. No arrests have been announced and the case remains unsolved.

Anyone who was in the area that night or has information about the black SUV is asked to come forward.