Man sentenced to more than 2 decades in prison for deadly shooting in Birmingham’s Gate City

A convicted in the 2018 shooting death of another man in Birmingham has now been sentenced to prison.

Melvin Akeem Taylor, 29, was initially charged with murder in the slaying of 32-year-old Napolean January. A Jefferson County jury in October found Taylor guilty of a reduced charge of reckless manslaughter.

Taylor on Thursday was sentenced to 25 years in prison. He faced anywhere from 20 years to life in prison because he had four prior felony convictions.

The shooting happened just before 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9, 2018, in the Marks Village public housing community in Birmingham’s Gate City. January died three months after the shooting.

Napolean January, 32, died Feb. 14, 2019, more than three months after he was wounded in a shooting in Birmingham’s Gate City community.

January was found suffering from a gunshot wound to the stomach. He was taken to UAB Hospital where he died on Valentine’s Day in 2019.

Family members told AL.com in 2019 that they were with him when he died. “It’s been tough,’’ one family member said at the time. “He was fun, he was loving, he was kind, and he was an awesome father.”

January left behind one daughter.

Jefferson County Deputy District Attorneys Will McComb and Ty Henderson prosecuted Taylor. Taylor was represented by the Jefferson County Public Defender’s office. Circuit Judge Stephen Wallace presided over the trial.