On the late evening of Sunday, February 3, 2019, 18-year-old Jaterrius Dewayne Conwell, known as Jay, was fatally shot inside a vehicle in Bessemer, Alabama. Friends in the car say a firearm was being handled playfully when it discharged and struck Conwell. He was taken to a local hospital, stabilized, then transferred to UAB Hospital in Birmingham, where he died about an hour after the transfer.

Bessemer police reported four people were inside the car and others were standing nearby; investigators interviewed witnesses as they worked to establish the sequence of events. No arrests were reported in initial accounts. Family and friends described Conwell as caring, laid-back, and loving, and noted he had a twin brother and hoped to start a family.

If anyone knew Jaterrius, his circle, or was near the scene that night, please share what might help clarify how this fatal discharge occurred.