LaCorey Lashard McDonald, a man remembered for his kind and amazing personality, was a resident of Alabaster, Alabama. At 31 years old, he was described by those who loved him as having a big heart; to know him was to love him. His life was filled with the connections he made with family and friends, who were left heartbroken by his sudden and violent death in the winter of 2021.
On the cold evening of Monday, January 11, 2021, LaCorey’s life was tragically cut short in Birmingham. At approximately 8:30 p.m., officers from the Birmingham Police Department’s North Precinct were dispatched to the 1600 block of 29th Court North in the Collegeville neighborhood after the city’s Shot Spotter gunshot detection system alerted them to gunfire in the area. When police arrived, they discovered LaCorey inside a vehicle, suffering from at least one gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel were also called to the scene, but his injuries were too severe, and he was pronounced dead before he could be transported to a hospital.
The initial investigation by the Birmingham Police Department provided few immediate answers. Sgt. Rod Mauldin stated that the preliminary findings suggested the shooting had just occurred when officers arrived. The motive behind the shooting and the circumstances that led LaCorey to that location were unclear to investigators in the immediate aftermath. The case was logged as the third homicide in the city of Birmingham for 2021, a grim statistic for a community grappling with gun violence.
In the days and years that have followed, the investigation into LaCorey McDonald’s murder has grown cold. Despite the initial efforts of homicide detectives, no suspects have been publicly identified, and no arrests have been made. Information regarding persons of interest, potential leads, or evidence recovered from the scene has not been released to the public. The silence in the case has left LaCorey’s family and community without the closure that a resolution would bring, and his death remains an open and unsolved homicide on the files of the Birmingham Police Department.
Family and friends gathered to mourn LaCorey and celebrate his life. A public viewing was held on Sunday, January 17, 2021, at Peoples Funeral Home in Athens, Alabama. His graveside service and burial took place the following day at the Pleasant Grove Church cemetery, also in Athens. These services offered a moment for loved ones to come together in their shared grief, remembering the man with the big heart whose life had been taken far too soon.
As of today, the case of who killed LaCorey McDonald remains unsolved. The Birmingham Police Department has a cold case unit dedicated to re-examining unsolved homicides, but with hundreds of such cases in the city, the path to justice can be long and difficult. For the family of LaCorey McDonald, the wait for answers continues. There is no public information about a specific reward offered in this case, but authorities generally urge anyone with information, no matter how insignificant it may seem, to come forward.
