Quantez Banks

Quantez Jerrell Banks, a man remembered by loved ones as caring, funny, and a hard worker, was 32 years old when his life was cut short by gunfire inside a Birmingham lounge. Known affectionately as "Que" by family and friends, he was a graduate of Huffman High School and had worked for Wayne's Pest Control and St. Vincent's East Hospital. His family, including his mother, remembers him as a son they loved deeply and whose absence is profoundly felt, especially during the holidays.

In the pre-dawn hours of Sunday, December 10, 2023, Banks was at Mel's Lounge on Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North in Birmingham. An evening out turned tragic when a verbal argument broke out between Banks and another man inside the establishment. The dispute escalated with shocking speed when the other man produced a firearm and shot Banks. The gunman, an employee of the lounge, fled the scene immediately after the shooting.

The Birmingham Police Department's South Precinct officers were dispatched to the lounge at approximately 2:45 a.m. after receiving a call about a person being shot. When they arrived and entered the building, they found Quantez Banks lying unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound. Personnel from Birmingham Fire and Rescue soon arrived and pronounced him deceased at the scene. The investigation into the city's latest homicide began at once, with detectives from the B.P.D. Homicide Unit leading the inquiry.

Responding patrol officers quickly located a suspect near Mel's Lounge shortly after the shooting. The man was taken into custody and transported to Birmingham Police Department Headquarters for questioning by homicide detectives. The suspect was identified as 19-year-old Jordan Lamarick Jackson of Gardendale. Following his interview, Jackson was booked into the Birmingham City Jail on a 48-hour felony extension for murder.

Authorities moved swiftly, and Jordan Jackson was formally charged with murder in the death of Quantez Banks. He was subsequently transferred to the Jefferson County Jail, where he was held without bond. The investigation by the Birmingham Police Department suggested the shooting stemmed directly from the verbal altercation between Jackson and Banks.

A celebration of Quantez Banks' life was held on Saturday, December 16, 2023, at the First Baptist Church of Kingston, followed by his burial at Forest Hill Cemetery. Online memorial pages were filled with messages of love and grief from family and friends, with one cousin writing, "I will love you forever and a day," and his mother sharing the constant pain of his absence.

As of late 2023, the case against Jordan Jackson is proceeding through the court system. He remains in custody at the Jefferson County Jail as a pretrial inmate. Anyone with information pertaining to the case is asked to contact the Birmingham Police Department's Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.