A 55-year-old man shot dead during a fender-bender on a Birmingham interstate was intoxicated and aggressive, and the suspect clearly fired in self-defense, an attorney said Tuesday.

Leon Ruffin, 38, is charged with capital murder in the Feb. 1 slaying of Willie Robert “Bill” Morgan when the two drivers clashed that Saturday afternoon on the I-59/20 exit ramp at 31st Street.

Prosecutors contend that Morgan wasn’t armed and was punched in the face by Ruffin, which prompted him moments later to approach Ruffin’s vehicle.

It was not something, they said, that should have ended in death.

Ruffin’s defense attorney, however, said a jury likely wouldn’t convict someone of capital murder based on what happened that day.

New details in the deadly encounter emerged Tuesday when Ruffin went before Jefferson County District Judge Tanita Cain for a preliminary hearing.

When the hour-long hearing ended, Cain said there was enough probable cause to send the case to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

Jefferson County Deputy District Attorney Charissa Henrich is prosecuting. Attorney John Robbins represents Ruffin.

Birmingham homicide Det. Justin Lane was the lone witness in the hearing.

The shooting happened shortly before 2 p.m. that Saturday on the Interstate 59/20 exit ramp.

Morgan was on his way to work at Luttrell Architectural Woodworks where he had worked for 20 years as a custom woodworker.

Lane, the lead detective, said he arrived at the scene at 2:05 p.m.

Morgan was dead on the ground outside his Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and there were three shell casings near him.

Morgan, Lane testified, was not armed and a search of his truck showed there were no weapons inside the vehicle.

The shooting was captured on video from two nearby gas stations – Marathon and Shell. The video from Shell was accompanied by audio.

Investigators learned that Ruffin’s uncle in Pleasant Grove had been doing repairs on Ruffin’s BMW.

Ruffin’s cousin went that Saturday to pick up Ruffin on the city’s eastside and Ruffin was driving his cousin back home to Pleasant Grove, Lane said.

As they were on the exit ramp from the interstate at 31st Street North, the BMW stalled and stopped in that spot at 1:44 p.m.

Ruffin was in the driver’s seat, Lane said, and his cousin was in the passenger’s seat.

They remained there, trying to get the BMW to start.

At 1:51 p.m., the videos showed, Morgan’s truck pulled up behind Ruffin’s car, waited momentarily, blew his horn at Ruffin, and then “tapped” the rear of Ruffin’s BMW with his pickup truck.

After Morgan’s truck hit the BMW, Lane testified, Ruffin exited his car and walked back to Morgan’s truck.

Lane testified that Ruffin then punched Morgan in the face through the truck’s window and walked back to his car.

Lane said the video did not show the punch but said Ruffin’s cousin told detectives that’s what happened.

Morgan, the detective said, then got out of his truck and walked to Ruffin’s car, whose door was already open, and said, “Get out of the vehicle. Let’s do this.”

Robbins asked the detective if Morgan appeared angry, and Lane said, “Yes.”

“Like three seconds later,” Lane said, “you hear three gunshots.”

Robbins pointed out that Morgan’s autopsy showed that the victim’s blood alcohol level was at 0.188, more than twice the legal BAC level to operate a vehicle.

“So, we had an angry, drunk man telling my client to get out of the vehicle and let’s do this,” Robbins said. “It’s at that point my client fired.”

Lane said that was correct.

Morgan dropped to the ground and Ruffin was able to get to the car to start and drove off, Lane said.

The autopsy showed Morgan had been shot twice in the upper torso/chest area, and once in the forearm.

Multiple witnesses called 911, he said. Ruffin did not call 911.

The police department’s Real Time Crime Center obtained the surveillance videos and were able to pull the BMW’s license plate number.

The city’s Flock cameras – also known as license plate readers – picked up the BMW in the Pleasant Grove area, Lane said.

Police – including Chief Michael Pickett, the Crime Reduction Team and the Special Enforcement Team – located the BMW at a Pleasant Grove Road home where Ruffin’s uncle and cousin lived.

When police arrived at the home, Ruffin and his BMW were there, Lane said.

A search of the BMW turned up a 40-caliber pistol, which is the same caliber with which Morgan was killed.

The handgun was on the driver’s side floorboard of Ruffin’s car.

Ruffin was taken into custody without incident, but said he wanted a lawyer before he spoke with police.

His uncle and his cousin both willingly talked to detectives and identified Ruffin through a photo lineup, Lane testified.

Under questioning by prosecutor Henrich, Lane said the shell casings found at the homicide are a possible match to the ones used in a December 2024 shooting of another man for which Ruffin is charged with attempted murder.

Henrich argued that there was enough evidence against Ruffin to send the case to the grand jury, citing the videos and witness statements.

Robbins said self-defense is clearly an issue, also citing the surveillance videos.

“Mr. Morgan gets out of his truck, angrily, and he was more than twice the legal limit of operating that truck and approached my client in an angry manner,” the defense attorney said, “and demanded my client get out of his car, ‘Let’s do this, as if he were going to fight him.”

“Mr. Morgan is over 6 feet and over 200 pounds,‘’ Robbins said. “He’s a big man and he was drunk and aggressive, and my client acted in self-defense.”

Henrich pointed out that Ruffin left the scene quickly and did not call 911.

Robbins also asked that Ruffin be given a bond. Ruffin has no felony convictions and was employed at Uber Eats prior to his arrest.

Ruffin, Robbins said, has strong family support. “Half the courtroom is here supporting him,” he said.

Henrich said Ruffin should remain jailed, noting his charges in the December shooting case, which also happened again in a car and involving an incident believed to be “road-rage.”

The victim, she said, “lost his life that day for bumping Mr. Ruffin’s car.”

“We have two different incidents involving road rage involving Mr. Ruffin,‘’ Henrich said. “He’s a danger to the community.”

Robbins said Ruffin was not required to call 911, and said he was cooperative with police and had the right to assert his right to call a lawyer.

This case, he said, is not a death penalty case and Ruffin shouldn’t have to sit in jail until it goes to trial, which would be at a minimum 18 months.

“Is this really a capital case?” he said. “This is one of those that a jury is probably ultimately not going to convict him of capital murder on the facts of this case.”

The judge denied bond for Ruffin.