A quiet Sunday morning in Bessemer, Alabama, turned tragic on January 7, 2024, when 5-year-old Brandon Jamal Nation III was fatally shot while having his hair cut at a house on 7th Avenue North. The young Black boy from Fairfield was with his mother when gunfire erupted outside the home just after 10 a.m. Brandon was taken to a local hospital but died of his injuries. The man cutting his hair was also wounded and hospitalized in critical condition; several others inside the home were not injured.

Investigators said the shooting was not random and that they believed the barber, not the child, was the intended target. The Bessemer Police Department collected home security footage from neighbors, which detectives said aided the probe. Within days three people were arrested: 26-year-old Kendrick O’Neal, charged with capital murder, attempted murder, and shooting into an occupied dwelling; 24-year-old Tatyonna Estacia Smith and 25-year-old Kedarrius Mack, each charged with capital murder and attempted murder. All three were held in Jefferson County without bond and their charges remained pending in court as of January 2024.

Anyone with information, footage, or who knew Brandon or the people involved is asked to come forward.