Hunter Lins

Hunter Lins, a 22-year-old White man described by friends and family as vibrant, kind, and gregarious, was a loyal friend and loving son who was just starting a new job as a welder. He was born in Mobile, Alabama, attended Baker and Mary G. Montgomery High Schools, and was known for being a fun person to be around who didn't know a stranger.

A night out with friends on Saturday, February 1, 2025, ended in tragedy for Lins. An argument began inside the Alabama Bar & Lounge on Airport Boulevard in Mobile between Lins and Matthew Sanders. A bartender asked Sanders to leave the establishment, and he complied. According to prosecutors, Lins followed Sanders outside to the parking lot with the intention of apologizing. The situation then escalated into a physical fight, which Lins’s brother, “Rusty” Lins, also became involved in. Sanders retrieved a firearm from his vehicle and fired shots, striking Hunter Lins and another man, Charles Craig Jr. Police responded to reports of a shooting at approximately 1:54 a.m. Lins was transported to a local hospital by a personal vehicle but succumbed to his gunshot injury later that morning.

Police identified Matthew Sanders as the suspect and took him into custody at the scene. He was charged with murder in the death of Hunter Lins and first-degree assault for the injuries to Charles Craig Jr. According to the district attorney’s office, Sanders posted a video to Snapchat after the shooting in which he waved a gun and said, “I told ya’ll to leave me alone...and to quit playing with me.” Sanders was released on bond and pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Sanders’s defense attorney argued from the beginning that his client acted in self-defense. The defense claimed that after Sanders left the bar, a crowd followed him outside, and he was chased and “jumped on” by Lins and his brother. During the trial, his attorney stated that people were swinging at Sanders and throwing bottles at him as he was getting into his truck, and he feared for his safety.

The trial of Matthew Sanders began in late August 2026. Prosecutors argued that Lins was being held back by a friend when Sanders went to his truck and said, “I got something for you.” They also presented autopsy evidence indicating the fatal shot was fired from three to four feet away. After deliberating for two days, a Mobile County jury found Matthew Sanders not guilty of both murder and assault on September 3, 2026. The jury accepted his claim of self-defense, and the case was concluded.