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Media Release 161- Arrest Made in the Ja’Kia Winston Homicide Investigation

Arrest Made in the Ja’Kia Winston Homicide Investigation

The Birmingham Police Department reports detectives have obtained a warrant for an arrest in connection to the murder of Ja’Kia Winston. She was killed on Sunday, August 7, 2022, while in the 800 Block of 2nd Avenue North.

The suspect has been identified as:

Ronald Demetrius White, (23), B/M, of Bessemer, Alabama.

Ronald White was taken into custody a short time after the shooting. A North Precinct officer observed him outside of a vehicle believed to have been involved in the incident leading up to the shooting.

Birmingham Police Detectives presented information on the case to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office. After an assessment of the information, detectives obtained a warrant for Murder.

Ronald Demetrius White is in the custody of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office held on a $1,500,000 Bond.

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Homicide Investigation / Multiple People Shot / Exhibition Driving

The Birmingham Police Department is conducting a homicide investigation. The incident occurred on Sunday, August 7, 2022.

The victim has been identified as:
Ja’Kia Winston, (19), B/F, of Birmingham, Alabama.

At approximately 3:00 AM, North Precinct officers were dispatched to the 800 Block of 2nd Avenue North on report of a person shot. Officers arrived on the scene when they observed the victim lying unresponsive in a parking lot suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel arrived on the scene and pronounced the victim deceased.

The preliminary investigation suggests that multiple parties were in the parking lot participating in vehicle burnouts and other exhibition driving activities when a vehicle collided into another vehicle. The incident turned violent and gunshots were exchanged.

A total of five people were struck by gunfire. The victims were as follows:
Ja’Kia Winston
2 adult females
2 adult males.

Aside from Ja’Kia Winston, all of the victims were transported to a local-area hospital
via private vehicle. Two of the surviving victims have life-threatening injuries.

Currently, we have one person of interest in custody (adult male). BPD Homicide detectives will question him at BPD Headquarters.
We believe there were multiple shooters.

If there is anyone who has information pertaining to the case, please contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit @ 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers @ 205-254-7777.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers through the Birmingham Police Department’s Mobile App on Android or IOS devices. Updates will be provided as information comes available.

This is Birmingham’s 79th murder investigation of 2022 including 6 justifiable death investigations.

The Birmingham Police Department adheres to FBI Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines set for all law enforcement agencies across the United States. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting guidelines do not require law enforcement agencies to include justifiable death investigations into the total homicide investigations counts.

**The information is based on a preliminary and ongoing investigation, which continues to evolve as investigators interview witnesses, review physical and electronic records, and analyze forensic evidence. The Department’s understanding of the facts and circumstances may change as additional evidence is collected and analyzed**

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Media Release 160- Homicide Investigation- 2nd Avenue North 

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