Prichard police announced an arrest in February 2018 in connection with a fatal shooting outside a gas station in the Whistler area.
LaDerrick Hopson was taken to Mobile Metro Jail after investigators identified him as a suspect in the death of 42-year-old Rodney Martin. The shooting occurred outside the store at 2815 St. Stephens Road, a location described in reports as the Energize gas station.
What investigators said at the time
Police said Martin had been leaving the store after an apparent argument with a woman when another man began firing. Witness accounts provided to investigators placed the shooter inside the store before Martin and the woman walked out the front door.
Authorities released a description of the person they were seeking during the early stages of the investigation: a man wearing a multicolored striped polo-style shirt, multicolored ball cap, blue jeans and white sneakers. Police later announced Hopson’s arrest in the case.
A location with earlier history
The fatal shooting drew additional attention because the same gas station had been the site of another deadly shooting in December 2014. In that earlier incident, Demetrius Allen was killed after leaving the store. Police said a person of interest in that case was ultimately not charged after the shooting was determined to have been self-defense.
The 2018 announcement concerned an arrest, not a conviction. The information reflects the allegations and investigative statements made public by Prichard police at the time. Court records would be needed to determine the ultimate disposition of the case.
Investigators had asked anyone with information about the February 2018 shooting to contact the Prichard Police Department as the case developed.