Dometrius Coleman was a 25-year-old Black man from Montgomery, Alabama, remembered by his mother, Deidre, for his "big smile." Known to some as "Boosie," he was described as a fun, loving, and silly person who was full of life. Dometrius was the father of three young sons who would be left to grow up without him.
In the early hours of Sunday, February 24, 2019, Dometrius was attending a party on South Holt Street. Shortly after 1:00 a.m., Montgomery police officers and fire medics were dispatched to the 1000 block of the street following a report of a person shot. At the scene, they found Dometrius Coleman, who had sustained a fatal gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead where he was found.
The Montgomery Police Department immediately launched a homicide investigation into the shooting, which was the city's eighth of the year. According to investigators, their initial findings indicated that the shooting stemmed from an argument that had escalated into deadly violence.
No arrests were made in the immediate aftermath of the incident.
Months later, Dometrius’s family was still searching for answers. "Never in a million years I was looking for that call saying somebody had killed my child,” his mother, Deidre Coleman, said in June 2019. With her three grandsons left without a father, she pleaded for anyone with information to come forward. "We are just wanting answers. We need justice," she said, adding, "It is my family today, but it could be theirs tomorrow.”
As of June 2019, the investigation into the death of Dometrius Coleman was ongoing, but no arrests had been made. The case remains unsolved. Police have asked anyone with information to call CrimeStoppers at 215-STOP, the Secret Witness line at 625-4000, or the Montgomery Police Department at 625-2831.
