Family of Jabari Peoples demands answers after fatal police ehooting in Alabama

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The family of Jabari Latrell Peoples is calling for answers after the 18-year-old Alabama man was fatally shot by police on Monday, June 23.

The police’s account on Jabari People’s shooting

Homewood Police say an officer approached a parked car at the Homewood Soccer Complex around 9:30 p.m. The officer said he smelled marijuana and told Peoples and a female passenger to exit the vehicle.

Police claim the officer spotted a gun in the car and tried to arrest Peoples for unlawful possession. A struggle followed. According to police, Peoples reached for the weapon. The officer fired one shot. Peoples later died at UAB Hospital.

Family says police’s account is false

Relatives vehemently dispute the account and are demanding answers.

Deandra Peoples, Jabari’s cousin, told CBS 42 the officer approached the vehicle without lights or sirens and addressed Jabari as “little boy.”

She maintains that Jabari was complying with instructions and that the claim he reached for a weapon is “farfetched.” The female passenger, who was present during the incident, reportedly told the family that Jabari followed all commands, was not aggressive, and was unarmed.

The family also stated once Jabari was shot, the officer reportedly took no life-saving action.

Accountability is demanded

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency is investigating the shooting.

In a statement released this week, the family of Jabari Peoples expressed deep frustration with the handling of the investigation, saying they have yet to receive a full police report, any body camera footage, or direct communication from the Homewood Police Department.

“We have not heard one word of explanation,” they said, adding that their repeated requests have been met with silence.

The family is calling for several immediate actions, including the release of all official documents and footage related to the shooting, the public identification of the officer involved, and a full, independent investigation.

“We will pursue this case until the truth is fully exposed and justice is served,” they said, “not only for Jabari, but for every family that’s been forced to bury a loved one without answers.”

“Jabari was a college student. He had a family, a future, was unarmed. He complied. And now he’s gone,” the family wrote.

Community support for Jabari Peoples

Community members and local leaders, including Aliceville Mayor Terrence Windham, have echoed the family’s call for transparency. Windham urged ALEA and the City of Homewood to release all available footage and dispatch audio, stating, “This moment calls for clarity and compassion. The people of Alabama deserve both.”

Leroy Maxwell, the attorney the Peoples family obtained in connection to the fatal shooting, released a statement Wednesday.

“In the pursuit of truth and justice, we are demanding the immediate release of unedited body camera footage related to this incident,” Maxwell stated.

“Homewood doesn’t need several weeks or months to prepare for the blow back. Release the footage now and take accountability. Every second the footage is not released creates more distrust in law enforcement.”