Mac Wayne Early, 37, was shot and killed the night of December 6, 2018, on Center Street near Chestnut Avenue in Bessemer, Alabama. Police were called at about 10:00 p.m.; officers found Early in the roadway amid evidence that multiple rounds had been fired, and the Jefferson County Coroner pronounced him dead at the scene.

Investigators reported witnesses described an argument before the gunfire. Within about a week police arrested Brandon Keenan Phillips of Birmingham and charged him with murder and additional shooting-related counts, including attempted murder; Phillips was booked into the Jefferson County Jail with bonds totaling $550,000. Funeral services for Early were held on December 15, 2018, at Mars Hill Baptist Church in Brighton, with interment at New Oakdale Cemetery.

Whoever knew Mac Early or witnessed the shooting is asked to come forward with any information that could help clarify what happened that night?