Suspect in horrific, deadly Birmingham gunfight that was captured on video waives hearing, case sent to grand jury

Suspect in horrific, deadly Birmingham gunfight that was captured on video waives hearing, case sent to grand jury

The suspect charged in the high-profile shooting death of another man in Birmingham’s Kingston public housing community has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.

Demarco Griffin, 27, is charged with murder in the Memorial Day slaying of 43-year-old Juanderius Woods. The brutal killing was captured on surveillance footage that somehow was leaked and made its way onto social media.

Jefferson County District Judge William Bell entered a court order Wednesday noting that Griffin had waived his preliminary hearing – which is where he and his attorney, Scott Boudreaux, would have heard the state’s evidence against him.

Much of that evidence, however, was presented during a June 8 Aniah’s Law bond hearing, at which time Bell denied bond for Griffin.

The hearing was set for Thursday. The murder case will now be sent directly to a grand jury for indictment consideration.

The shooting happened about 8 p.m. that Monday. South Precinct officers began receiving multiple Shot Spotter alerts in and around the 4400 block of Ninth Avenue North in the Kingston community.

Roughly 90 rounds were fired within one minute.

A man was killed when about 90 rounds were fired in a Birmingham shootout Monday, May 29, 2023, in the city’s Kingston community. (Carol Robinson)

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said those rounds were fired in the 800 block of 44th Place, the 900 block of 44th Place North and the 4600 block of Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North.

There were multiple volleys of gunfire in the 800 block of 44th Place North.

“All of those shots were fired within a minute. We’re talking 10 rounds, 15 rounds, eight rounds, 20 rounds, six rounds, all being fired in succession,” Fitzgerald previously said.

When officers arrived on the scene, they found Woods dead in a parking lot, just off the sidewalk.

Within 24 hours of Woods’ death, the video was being circulated on social media.

The video, which has no audio, is about one minute long and shows the parking lot where the deadly shooting happened.

There were more than a half dozen people in the parking when gunfire erupted. They all begin to run in different directions.

Woods can be seen running across the parking lot before he falls. He then gets back up, and stumbles again. The shooter – who police say is Griffin – then stands over Woods and fires multiple shots at him again.

Kingston Homicide Video May 30, 2023

The shooting death of a 43-year-old Birmingham man was captured on surveillance video in Birmingham’s Kingston public housing community. (Screenshot)

Woods makes his way to his vehicle where he scoots behind the car to take cover, along with another person. That person appears to be firing back at Griffin from behind the car.

Someone in the passenger’s seat opens the door and runs away.

The shooter then runs around the vehicle, still firing at Woods as he is on the ground. Several of those shots were point blank at the victim’s head. The person with Woods is firing back.

That person then dives into the driver’s seat of the car.

The shooter approaches Woods – who by then appears unresponsive -and begins to repeatedly beat him in the head.

The person with Woods then drives off, with both of the car doors still open.

The suspect continues to beat Woods for nine more seconds before the video stops.

Authorities have not released a motive, but police say Griffin targeted Woods, which was clear on the video of the killing.