Mobile police are treating the deaths of two people found inside a burned home on Dr. Thomas Avenue as homicides, the city’s public safety director said, as investigators work to determine exactly how the couple died.
Public Safety Director James Barber confirmed the deaths are being investigated as homicides. He said the extent of the fire damage is slowing the search for a cause of death and for other physical evidence at the scene.
Family Identifies the Couple
Relatives identified the two as Lelia and Tony Lewis, a couple family members said had been together for more than 50 years. Family members told reporters they believe the pair were shot and that the house was then set on fire. Barber said it was too early in the investigation to confirm that account.
“We don’t know how it happened, but we do know someone came and did this,” said Letecha Lang, a family member. “They had no regards for human life when they did what they did.”
Tonika Jones, the couple’s daughter, described her parents as the center of a large extended family. “My momma and my daddy was the head, and the tail, the roots,” she said.
Family members also confirmed that one of the couple’s grandsons is Mobile rapper HoneyKomb Brazy, who posted a tribute to them on social media.
Fire Spread to Neighboring Home
The fire began around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday and grew large enough to spread to the house next door, where Pearlie Howard lives with her son, Jesse Hall. Both said they did not see what happened but heard gunshots beforehand.
“We hit the floor, saw bullets fly across us, so we got low and waited for 10 minutes and then finally came out of the house and we saw both houses on fire,” Hall said.
Investigators from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives have also worked the scene alongside Mobile police.
Investigation Continues
No arrests had been announced, and police had not released a suspect description or a possible motive. Relatives said they are waiting on answers.
“People like this though don’t need to be on the streets,” Lang said.