Metro Alabama Crime Stoppers approved a $25,000 reward this week for those who provided information that led to an arrest after a 2-year-old’s slaying death.
According to Al.com, Chairman Frank Barefield announced Tuesday that the reward is the “largest approved for payout in the agency’s history.” He added that although Crime Stoppers doesn’t publicize rewards, this particular case was important because it will help the community understand that the reward program indeed works.
As CrimeOnline previously reported, shortly after 2-year-old Major Turner and his mother finished dinner on February 4, 2021, a man fired nearly a dozen bullets toward the family’s first-floor apartment in Birmingham. The mother and son were lying on a couch at the time, while two other children were upstairs.
The boy was struck in the neck and was rushed to Children’s Hospital of Alabama, where he was pronounced dead at 2:45 a.m. The mother was treated and released from the hospital, and the two other children in the residence were not injured.
In February 2022, police announced the arrest of Clearance Speed Jr., 24, in connection with the case. Court records indicate that Speed has been arrested at least 17 times since 2019.
“Officers and detectives worked relentlessly to bring this case before our criminal justice system in an effort to give some closure to Major’s family and the community,’’ Acting Police Chief Scott Thurmond said after the arrest.
“There’s a lot more work to be done and there are many other families who need closure . As your chief I will ensure the Birmingham Police Department works to prevent these incidents and pursues justice in all cases.”
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[Feature Photo via Family Handout/GoFundMe]
