The attorney for the family of an Aliceville teen fatally shot by Homewood police said Jabari Peoples was shot once in the back.
Leroy Maxwell, who represents the family of the slain 18-year-old, said Monday he dispatched an investigator to conduct a detailed charting of Peoples’ body.
“Based on the preliminary findings, I can now confirm that Jabari was shot once in the back,” Maxwell said. “This revelation is consistent with the eyewitness account we have obtained, all of which clearly state that Jabari did not possess a weapon at the time he was approached by the officer.”
Maxwell’s announcement came just hours before a Monday night vigil scheduled at Homewood Soccer Park, exactly one week after Peoples died. Family members, preachers and activists are set to speak at the event.
“With these facts now established — the fatal shot to the back and the absence of a weapon — the only remaining question is what the body-worn camera footage will show,” Maxwell said. “That video is critical. It is in the possession of ALEA and has yet to be shared with the family, despite repeated requests.”
Maxwell said he is again demanding that ALEA – which is the lead investigative agency – release the body camera footage to Peoples’ family.
“They deserve to see, with their own eyes, what happened in Jabari’s final moments,” Maxwell said. “The public deserves transparency. Jabari’s family deserves justice. And justice begins with the truth.”
Maxwell said last week that ALEA had denied the family’s request to immediately see the footage and told them they had no time frame for when that could take place.
ALEA has not commented on release of the footage.
Peoples was a 2024 graduate of Aliceville High School who worked as a security guard at DCH Regional Medical Center.
“He loved the idea of law enforcement and wanted to work in law enforcement at some point,” Maxwell said.
“He was a student. He was beloved. He was kind. He was respectful,” Maxwell said. “There’s nothing I’ve seen to counter that narrative whatsoever.”