The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office is searching for a group of masked gunmen who opened fire on a crowd outside a Prichard restaurant early Sunday, killing one man and wounding another in what investigators are calling a senseless act of violence.
Deputies responded at approximately 3:45 a.m. Sunday to reports of shots fired near Fry Daddy’s at 405 South Wilson Avenue, an area Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch says is known as a popular late-night stop for people leaving nearby clubs.
“That little area has always been an active area,” Burch said. “There’s a couple little clubs right close by… At 3:45 Sunday morning, people were hanging out, placing orders.”
Witnesses told investigators a white or light-colored SUV, possibly a Jeep or Dodge Durango, pulled up to the crowd gathered near the restaurant and food trucks in the area. Three to four masked shooters got out of the vehicle and opened fire, according to authorities.
Deputies located 25-year-old Deonti Charly behind a vacant building in the 400 block of East Main Street, suffering from multiple gunshot wounds. Charly, who had just finished placing a food order, was pronounced dead at the scene.
“We did recover about 25 shell casings,” Burch said.
A second victim, identified by the Sheriff’s Office as Ken Reed, was taken to a local hospital by private vehicle after also sustaining multiple gunshot wounds. His injuries are not believed to be life-threatening, and he continues to receive treatment.
Investigators with the Major Crimes Unit and Crime Scene Investigators processed the scene, recovering a firearm, a cellphone and Charly’s vehicle, a tan 2006 Ford Taurus, in addition to the spent shell casings. Detectives have obtained surveillance footage from nearby businesses, though so far no video has captured the shooting itself.
“People tend to, not only do they run [after an incident], they start filming with their phones. And sometimes that footage begins to trickle in,” Burch said, adding that he expects bystander video to help identify those responsible.
Gun violence prevention advocate Vaughnie Davis said the shooting, which unfolded in front of families and other bystanders enjoying a weekend night out, could have been far worse.
“It’s senseless, and oh, I mean, it’s so many different things that could have transpired or taken place leading up to the incident,” Davis said. “There was 25 shell casings; like, that’s overkill. And then when you take into consideration, you got families out here, people that’s just out here coming to enjoy themselves on the weekend.”
No suspects have been identified. The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office is asking anyone with information, including cellphone video from the scene, to come forward. Tips can be submitted by calling 251-574-8633 or through the agency’s anonymous tip line.
Update, July 22: The Mobile County Sheriff’s Office announced an arrest in the case during a press conference held Tuesday afternoon at MCSO headquarters on South Royal Street.
Investigators say 20-year-old Ashton Tremichael Johnson-Whitfield of Mobile has been arrested and charged with murder and shooting into an occupied vehicle in connection with the shooting. Authorities allege Johnson-Whitfield was one of three or four masked people who pulled up in the white vehicle described by witnesses and opened fire into the crowd.
Sheriff Paul Burch said investigators believe Charly and the suspect knew each other, though a motive for the shooting has not been determined. Johnson-Whitfield has denied knowing the victim and maintains his innocence, according to officials.
Burch credited cooperation from the Prichard community with helping investigators identify a suspect quickly. “We found him pretty quickly; shows how our partnership with the Prichard community is getting stronger, part of it was their involvement in helping solve this case,” Burch said.
The Sheriff’s Office says the investigation remains active, with at least two more suspects believed to be involved still being sought. Burch said additional arrests are expected. Anyone with information is asked to call 251-574-8633 or contact MCSO’s anonymous tip line.
What happens next in the case
Murder is a Class A felony in Alabama, punishable by 20 years to life in prison, and shooting into an occupied vehicle is a Class B felony. Under Aniah’s Law, a state constitutional amendment approved by voters in November 2022, prosecutors can ask a judge to deny bail to defendants charged with murder and certain other violent felonies; the judge decides after a pretrial detention hearing.
