A 24-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting deaths of University of Alabama student Jazmine Alexis Bates, her friend Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, and a dog inside a Brookwood home where Alvarez-Duenas was house-sitting.
Authorities identified the suspect as De’Kendrick Crawford, who faces charges including capital murder in the deaths of two people and discharging a firearm into an occupied building. Investigators say Crawford was taken into custody after a search at a relative’s apartment in Northport, where he was found hiding in an attic crawl space following a standoff with law enforcement.
The case began on July 6, when Brookwood Police responded to a home on Alabama Junction Road for a welfare check. The homeowner, who was out of the country, had become concerned after she was unable to reach Alvarez-Duenas, who was watching her dog. Police said the homeowner reviewed security camera footage and saw a person acting suspiciously on the property before requesting help.
When officers arrived, they discovered Alvarez-Duenas, 31, deceased near the entrance of the home. After clearing the residence, investigators found Bates, 22, in a bedroom closet. Both victims had suffered fatal gunshot wounds, and the dog was also found shot and killed.
Bates was a senior at the University of Alabama and originally from Chicago. She and Alvarez-Duenas worked together at Buffalo Phil’s Wings in Tuscaloosa. Loved ones described Bates as a bright young woman who was only months away from completing her degree. Alvarez-Duenas was remembered as a beloved member of the community and a father of three children.
Investigators said Crawford was known to the victims and had previously worked with them at the restaurant. Authorities also noted that Crawford had an outstanding felony warrant related to a prior shooting incident involving an occupied building near the University of Alabama campus.
Following the tragedy, a GoFundMe fundraiser has been created to support Jazmine Alexis Bates’ family with funeral and memorial expenses. The fundraiser was established as friends, family, and members of the community continue to mourn the loss of the 22-year-old student whose life was cut short.
The deaths have left the Tuscaloosa-area community and the University of Alabama community grieving as investigators continue working to determine a motive behind the killings. Crawford remains in custody as the legal process moves forward.
