Snir Lalum

Snir Lalum, a 44-year-old White man, was a husband, a father to a six-year-old son, and the co-owner of a Birmingham, Alabama, business called Insta-Movers. An Israeli immigrant who had lived in the Vestavia Hills area for several years, Lalum was known for his generous spirit. He often began his workday by taking his employees to a nearby convenience store for food and drinks.

In the early morning hours of Thursday, August 24, 2023, this routine act of kindness preceded a tragedy. After leaving the convenience store, it is believed Lalum was followed back to his business at 115 Walter Davis Drive. At approximately 5:15 a.m., Birmingham Police Department officers were dispatched to the location on a report of a person shot. They arrived to find Lalum unresponsive inside a warehouse bay, suffering from a gunshot wound. Responding officers rendered aid before he was transported to UAB Hospital, where he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead.

The investigation into the homicide quickly identified two suspects. On August 25, 2023, detectives obtained warrants, and police arrested 24-year-old Sebastian Ross II of Hoover that same day. The second suspect, 20-year-old Jaquies Hoffman of Tallassee, was taken into custody by the U.S. Marshal’s Service on October 4, 2023. Both men were charged with capital murder in connection with a robbery and were held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond.

In 2024, both Ross and Hoffman were indicted for murder. The case against Jaquies Hoffman subsequently proceeded to trial, where he was convicted for his role in the shooting death of Snir Lalum. With this conviction, the case is considered solved. The final developments in the legal proceedings occurred in 2024.