HOMEWOOD, Ala. — Authorities confirmed that a man identified as 42-year-old John Will was fatally shot by Homewood police officers Friday morning during an encounter on Green Springs Highway.
According to officials, the shooting occurred just before 10 a.m. in the northbound lanes of Green Springs Highway near Valley Avenue, close to the Red Mountain Plaza shopping center. Witnesses reported a heavy police presence as the scene quickly filled with emergency vehicles and crime scene tape.
John Will was transported from the scene to UAB Hospital, where he died a short time later from his injuries. No officers were reported injured in the incident. Few additional details have been released, including what led to the shooting or whether Will was armed at the time.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) has been called in to lead the investigation, which is standard protocol when local police officers are involved in a fatal use-of-force incident. Officials said more information will be provided after initial witness interviews and evidence reviews are complete.
Friday’s fatal shooting comes less than three months after another deadly encounter involving Homewood police. On June 23, 2025, officers shot and killed 18-year-old Jabari Peoples of Aliceville at a city soccer park. Following a review, Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr ruled that the Peoples shooting was justifiable, citing the officers’ accounts and ALEA’s findings.
That decision was met with sharp criticism from Peoples’ family and their attorneys, who vowed to continue challenging the ruling. The case sparked multiple protests, marches, and arrests in Homewood and Birmingham over the summer, highlighting growing community concerns about police accountability and use of force.
With Friday’s shooting of John Will, tensions may again escalate as residents await clarity about the circumstances of the latest deadly incident. Advocates are already calling for transparency and for body camera footage, if available, to be released to the public.
As of Friday evening, Homewood police had not held a press conference or provided further comment on the events that led up to the shooting. The investigation remains active, and the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office is expected to review ALEA’s findings once the probe is complete.
Do you want me to expand this further with community reaction and legal context (like recent trends in Alabama officer-involved shootings), or keep it focused on just this case and the Peoples case?
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