A man found fatally shot and dumped on a remote western Jefferson County roadway has now been identified as one of two men kidnapped Tuesday morning following the shooting death of former Green Bay Packer Carlos Gray.
Jefferson County sheriff's officials on Wednesday identified the latest victim as 21-year-old Darryl Thomas, the father of a young son and young daughter. Less than 24 hours before his bullet-riddled body was found in a makeshift dump near Lipscomb, he was posting condolences on Facebook about the death of his supposed friend - Gray - who was shot and killed Monday night inside his Balboa Terrace home in the Clay neighborhood of Paradise Valley.
Gray's death sparked a 24-hour crime spree that included two kidnappings and ultimately the death of Thomas, who lawmen say is suspected of killing Gray.
Four people are now being held awaiting formal charges of capital murder and first-degree kidnapping in connection with the death of Thomas, said Jefferson County sheriff's Chief Deputy Randy Christian. The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force and the Metro Area Crime Center assisted in the investigation and subsequent arrests. More arrests are expected.
The murder of Thomas, Christian said, is believed to have been committed in retaliation for the shooting death of Gray. Authorities have not confirmed what led to the murder of Gray, but believe he had bragged about a large amount of money and drugs that led to him being killed during a robbery carried out by Thomas.
"Our detectives worked around the clock on this case along with continuous information gathered by the Metro Area Crime Center and assistance from the Marshals Fugitive Task Force,'' Christian said. "Hopefully their hard work has brought this needless bloodshed to an end."
It all began to unfold just before 10 p.m. Monday when Gray was found dead by his girlfriend. Christian said Gray's girlfriend reported she last saw him alive about an hour earlier when she left the home. When she returned she discovered him dead.
When deputies arrived on scene, they checked the home for additional victims or suspects. While clearing the house, deputies reported seeing marijuana, digital scales, a Glock handgun with an extended magazine and an AK-47 rifle with a large capacity magazine all in plain view.
Neighbors said there was a drive-by shooting at Gray's house just one week ago - on Wednesday, April 25 - but no one was injured.
Then, on Tuesday morning, Christian said, a group of men kidnapped two men at gunpoint at an eastern-area apartment complex. At about 11 a.m., deputies were called to a convenience store in the 2100 block of Old Springville Road to investigate a report of a kidnapping.
An adult male victim reported that he and another man - now identified as Thomas - had been kidnapped at gunpoint by five men in the parking lot of a nearby apartment complex. Three of the suspects were in a white Chevrolet Avalanche and the other two were in an Infinity sedan. That Avalanche reportedly belongs to a close friend of Gray's.
Once the suspects forced the two men into the Avalanche, they drove north on Old Springville Road with the Infinity following behind. The reporting victim was able to escape near the convenience store and call for help.
A description of the suspect vehicles was broadcast to nearby deputies. The Infinity was located and stopped near the 1900 block of Old Springville Road. Two suspects were taken into custody, questioned by detectives and booked in the Jefferson County Jail.
The white Avalanche with the second victim - Thomas - continued north on Old Springville Road.
Then, about 3 p.m. Tuesday, Thomas' body was discovered by two people passing through the makeshift dump near Third Place South and Avenue S in the Lipscomb area. Jefferson County sheriff's deputies responded the scene and put up crime scene tape.
Authorities said Thomas had been shot multiple times and discarded there.
Nearby residents said the property is near the old Woodward Mines. The area where the body was found used to be the site of housing and the commissary for workers who mined the red ore. The mining there shut down in the late 1960s, and the area has developed into a frequent location of illegal dumping and other activities.
The U.S. Marshals Gulf Coast Regional Fugitive Task Force found the Avalanche and one of the suspects at a Hoover apartment complex on Tyler Circle late Tuesday night. The other suspect was captured at a home on Fairmont Road in Center Point.
The deaths of Gray and Thomas are the 57th and 58th killings in all of Jefferson County so far this year, including 37 in the city of Birmingham.
"Lifestyle choices have consequences,'' Christian said. "This kind of lifestyle choice often ends the way this case did. Our prayer is that others headed down that road will walk away from it."