NORTHPORT, Ala. (WIAT) — A Northport man is behind bars in the Tuscaloosa County Jail after a shooting that left his uncle dead Thursday morning.
Just before 6 a.m., Northport Police Department and the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit responded to a shooting at Knoll Circle Housing Complex. VCU Captain Jack Kennedy stated Otis Keon Coleman was found shot dead outside of his home at the scene.
Family members identified Coleman's nephew Keyontae Coleman as the prime suspect to police. He is charged with murder and is being held with no bond under Aniah's Law. A motive is still undetermined.
Community members are shocked the murder happened a couple of houses down, as shootings are rare in the area.
"We have a very family-oriented neighborhood,” Knoll Circle resident Trillon Taylor said.
Many people in the neighborhood were getting ready to leave for work or to take their children to school. However, when Tosha McCall opened her front door, she was mortified by the crime scene on her block.
“Going outside and I have to see that somebody got killed, see a body on the ground, it’s really scary," McCall said.
For parents like Taylor, it's an even harder situation to wrap his head around.
“It's tragic," Taylor said. "I’ve got to get up in the early morning. Get my kids prepared for school."
McCall, the mother of an 18-year-old son, couldn't help but think about other possible outcomes when the trigger was pulled.
"It could be us," McCall said. "A bullet doesn’t have any aim.”
This shooting marks the first homicide investigation within Northport City limits this year, according to NPD's assistant chief of police.