College student fatally shot by AL cop, family says. ‘Never could’ve imagined’
An 18-year-old was shot and killed by an Alabama officer patrolling a soccer park, police said.
The officer was “investigating a suspicious vehicle” at about 9:30 p.m. June 23 at a park in Homewood when he and a man in the car — identified by family as Jabari Peoples — got in a fight, the Homewood Police Department said in a June 24 news release.
Police said the officer shot Peoples after he “produced a handgun,” but according to Peoples’ family, a witness at the shooting said he was unarmed.
“He was approached by an individual in an unmarked vehicle, with no lights, no sirens, and no visible identification,” according to a June 24 statement by Peoples’ family.
The officer told those in the car to get out, and after following instructions, Peoples was fatally shot, the family said.
“Once (Peoples) was shot, the officer took no life-saving action,” the family said, adding that they didn’t learn about the shooting until about 10 a.m. the next day when the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office contacted them.
According to police, both the officer and Peoples were treated at the scene. The officer was released, and Peoples was taken to a hospital where he died, police said.
“(Peoples) was our baby,” Angel Nicole Smith, Peoples’ sister, said in a June 25 post on Facebook. “Our hearts are broken. Never did I think we’d be burying someone so young — someone who hadn’t even had the chance to start living life. His life was stolen from him, and it hurts beyond words.”
Homewood is about a 5-mile drive south from Birmingham.
Police release more details
According to a June 25 police department statement, the officer approached the car and asked the two occupants, including Jabari Peoples, to get out after he smelled marijuana.
Then, the officer saw a gun in the driver’s side door and tried to arrest Peoples, but he resisted, according to police.
That’s when the fight broke out and Peoples reached for the gun, “creating an immediate deadly threat to the officer,” and causing the officer to shoot at him, police said.
“The details surrounding this incident are clearly captured on the officer’s body worn camera,” police said, adding that arrangements are being made for the family to see the footage.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency took over the investigation, including the footage, according to police. The employment status of the officer during the investigation was not made clear.
Family seeks answers
“(Jabari Peoples) was a college student. He had a family. He had a future,” his family said in a statement.
He was remembered as “intelligent, competent, humble, optimistic, mild-mannered,” according to a June 24 Facebook post by his brother, Bron Peoples.
“I’m puzzled to the point of disbelief. Never could’ve imagined this,” Bron Peoples said. “You’ll be forever missed.”
According to the family, they had not heard from the police department as of the evening of June 24.
The family said they are asking for “immediate public release of the full police report, all available body cam and dash cam footage, identification of the officer involved, a full, independent investigation, accountability at every level.”
“We will pursue this case until the truth is fully exposed and justice is served — not only for (Jabari Peoples), but for every family who’s been forced to bury a loved one without answers,” the family said.
This story was originally published June 26, 2025 at 6:56 AM with the headline "College student fatally shot by AL cop, family says. ‘Never could’ve imagined’."
