Rashiem Porter, a 36-year-old Black man from Birmingham, Alabama, was killed on January 11, 2017, outside a convenience store near Pearson Avenue Southwest and 17th Place Southwest. Police and local reports say Porter arrived at the store and quickly became involved in a confrontation with other men that investigators believed was tied to prior bad blood rather than a chance meeting. Surveillance footage reviewed by police suggested the encounter escalated rapidly as if those involved already knew why tempers were flaring.

Family members were present during the attack; reports say Porter’s mother and brother were at the scene. Porter’s mother was struck with a gun and knocked to the ground, and Porter was shot multiple times. Officers found him suffering from gunshot wounds. Birmingham police took several people of interest into custody early on and said detectives reconstructed the events from video and witness accounts. ABC 33/40 reported that Joshua Cowans, 23, was charged in connection with Porter’s death, and early reports indicated more than one male was involved.

Porter was laid to rest in the days after the shooting, and his family held a fundraiser describing a household devastated by sudden gun violence. Does anyone have information about the confrontation that night or recall seeing activity near that convenience store on January 11, 2017?