Aliceville, Alabama’s Jabari Peoples was armed: Homewood police

Jabari Latrell Peoples of Aliceville, Pickens County, Alabama, United States has died. He was 18.

Jabari Peoples

At around 9:30 p.m. on June 23, 2025, Peoples and another individual were inside a vehicle parked in the back corner of the Homewood Soccer Park in Homewood, Jefferson County, Alabama. The Aliceville teen was in the driver’s seat.

The vehicle was approached by a male uniformed Homewood Police Department officer in his marked police cruiser. According to the officer, he smelled the odor of marijuana so he ordered Peoples and his companion out of the vehicle.

When Peoples exited the vehicle, the officer reportedly observed a handgun in the door pocket of the open driver’s side door. The teenager allegedly started to actively resist when the officer tried to handcuff him to arrest him for unlawful possession of marijuana and possible other charges.

After a physical struggle, Peoples allegedly broke away from the officer, who was knocked to the ground, and retrieved the handgun from the open driver’s side door pocket. The officer fired one round from his service weapon and hit the teenager.

When Peoples fell to the ground, he was still gripping the handgun in his right hand so the officer gave multiple verbal commands for him to let go of the firearm, according to the officer. After fleeing into the woods, Peoples’ companion approached the officer and was instructed to sit on the curb.

The details surrounding his shooting were clearly captured on the officer’s body worn camera, according to the Homewood Police Department.

Backup officers arrived and rendered medical treatment to Peoples. Homewood medic took him to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) Hospital in Birmingham, Jefferson County where he died.

On June 25, 2025, Peoples’ family members released a statement claiming that they were contacted by the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office at 10:00 a.m. on June 24, 2025, which was more than 12 hours after the teenager was pronounced dead. The family stated, “Contrary to reports and assumptions being pushed publicly, Jabari was not armed.”

“He was not aggressive,” the family said of Peoples. “He did not resist. He complied.”