Marquis Kantrell Drakes Jr., 24, was found with a gunshot wound inside a house in the 1400 block of 29th Street Ensley in Birmingham around midday on February 22, 2023. Birmingham officers discovered him lying on the floor after what investigators described as an altercation inside the residence. He was taken to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries and did not survive.

A woman who had been at the scene was detained as a person of interest and taken into custody for questioning in the hours after the shooting. Early reports indicated police believed the confrontation occurred inside the home rather than an attack from outside, and investigators planned to present evidence to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office.

On March 22, 2023, Birmingham police said the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office ruled the death justifiable and that a firearm recovered at the scene was believed to have been in Drakes’ possession. With that determination, no murder prosecution moved forward and the woman initially detained was not reported to have been charged. If anyone has information about what happened that day, please share it with investigators.