When the police kill a Black person, or anybody belonging to a marginalized group, in the South, best believe there are shady circumstances afoot.
According to a story published by PEOPLE, a young Black man named Jabari Peoples was shot dead by a local police officer who is telling a pretty tall tale that the 18-year-old’s family is having a difficult time believing. The shooting occurred on June 23, 2025, when an unnamed Homewood Police Department officer was investigating what is described as a “suspicious vehicle” in the parking lot of Homewood Soccer Complex. The officer allegedly smelled marijuana (so, what!) and approached the car, giving orders for the occupants to step out. The officer claims that upon attempting to handcuff Peoples for possession of the harmless plant, the teen allegedly began to resist, and reached for a pistol that was sitting in the car door’s side pocket. The officer proceeded to fire one fatal round based on a claim of self-defense.
The day after the shooting, a family member posted a public message on Facebook accusing the HPD of not providing them an incident report and not answering any of their questions.
In fact, according to WBRC, Jabari’s father wasn’t notified by HPD or the medical examiner about his son’s killing. Family attorney Leroy Maxwell Jr. revealed that the father found out his son was dead because he just so happened to be watching the news the evening in question.
“The father was watching TV and saw that a young man had been gunned down in Homewood,” Maxwell told the outlet. “And he thought, ‘Boy that’s unfortunate, that’s a sad thing.’ He had no idea they were talking about his own son.”
The family’s Facebook post details a list of infractions that have led them to believe that they are being lied to about the circumstances surrounding the fatal shooting, including an autopsy without consent and being denied the ability to identify the body. They also directly refute the police claims about Jabaris behavior at the time saying that “Jabari was not armed. He was not aggressive. He did not resist. He complied”.
“He was approached by an individual in an unmarked vehicle, with no lights, no sirens, and no visible identification. That officer exited the car, tapped on the window, and told the occupants to exit. They followed directions,” the family wrote. “Jabari complied — and within seconds, he was taken to the ground and shot. A witness was present. That person saw everything. There was no weapon. There was no threat.”
BOSSIP will be keeping a very close eye on this case because the math is not mathing and the family deserves to know what’s going on without further delay.
Leave a comment