Alleged Gang Members Arrested For Multiple Shootings, Financial Crimes In Tuscaloosa

TUSCALOOSA, AL — An investigation by the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit lasting longer than a year has led to the indictment of 10 alleged gang members connected to a series of shootings and financial crimes across west Alabama.

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Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the multiagency unit, said the investigation, which first began in January 2024, linked the suspects to a total of 10 shooting incidents since 2023, as well as a financial fraud scheme that investigators say generated more than $1 million in lost funds as the gang was aided by "multiple bank tellers."

Unable to see the video link below? Click here to watch the full press conference on our YouTube Channel.

A grand jury returned a total of 75 indictments after the Tuscaloosa County District Attorney's Office presented the full scope of the case.

Kennedy said the suspects operated as an organized criminal enterprise and mentioned Alabama’s newly passed Criminal Enterprise Act, which imposed enhanced penalties for those convicted of crimes committed to further a criminal organization.

He then said several of the suspects face additional mandatory sentencing enhancements of up to 30 years for allegedly using fully automatic firearms during the shootings as part of a criminal enterprise.

Among the crimes, investigators documented numerous drive-by shootings into occupied dwellings and vehicles, a murder in Pickens County, and the use of converted automatic weapons, or “switches" during the commission of offenses on behalf of a criminal enterprise.

Those arrested include:

• Kenneth Duncan, 23 – charged with first-degree assault, multiple counts of discharging firearms into occupied and unoccupied structures and vehicles, theft of property, and criminal enterprise firearm use with a machine gun (30-year enhancement).
• Tommy Summerville, 32 – charged with discharging into dwellings and vehicles, criminal enterprise participation, and machine gun use (30-year enhancement).
• Donterio Nickson, 23 – charged with discharging into dwellings and criminal enterprise machine gun use; also faces federal charges for possession of a machine gun.
• Jakilyn Nevels, 23 — Charged with discharging into an occupied dwelling, discharging into an occupied vehicle, discharging into an unoccupied vehicle, and three counts of participating in a criminal enterprise (10-year Sentencing Enhancement).
• Steven Hill Jr., 24 — charged with first-degree theft, six counts of shooting into an occupied dwelling, shooting into an unoccupied vehicle and shooting into an unoccupied building.
• Antwone Stowe — charged with firing into an occupied vehicle and three counts of firing into an unoccupied vehicle.
• Fredrick Micken — charged with shooting into an occupied dwelling

Three juveniles have also been charged as adults, but were not identified Friday due to Alabama law protecting the identities of defendants under 18.

Here is a timeline provided by the Tuscaloosa County Violent Crimes Unit:

July 2023 — A man was shot in the face in broad daylight while he sat inside a vehicle at a gas station in Tuscaloosa's West End. Investigators found that the criminal enterprise believed this victim to be related to their gang activity, but they were mistaken, and the victim was an innocent bystander.

July 2023 — One week after the shooting in the West End, members of the criminal enterprise were allegedly involved in a shootout in Alberta with a rival gang member, resulting in an innocent man being shot in the stomach.

January 2024 — Members of this same criminal enterprise drove to a residence and shot into the occupied residence multiple times over a monetary dispute.

January 2024 — The same members of the criminal enterprise allegedly shoot into an occupied apartment with a fully automatic rifle.

January 2024 — The same members of the criminal enterprise shoot into a different occupied apartment in a different complex with the same fully automatic rifle and a 9 mm pistol.

January 2024 — Members of the gang shoot into an unoccupied residence with the fully
automatic rifle.

April 2024 — Wearing masks, members of the gang get into an altercation with a group of people, resulting in one member allegedly trying to shoot one of them, but the gun did not fire. A shoot out ensued as they left the complex. Kennedy said no victim has come forward or been identified in this case.

April 2024 — Multiple gang members get into a large shootout in Coaling. Investigators said a pistol outfitted with a conversion device, making it fully automatic, was used. One occupied vehicle was shot and three unoccupied vehicles were struck. No one was killed.

May 2024 — Multiple gang members go to an apartment complex and shoot approximately 100 rounds into six occupied apartments, one unoccupied building, and one unoccupied vehicle. Kennedy said they also stole a motorcycle about an hour before the shooting.

May 2024 — Kenneth Duncan and others are accused of capital murder in Pickens County. This case is still pending.

Kennedy stressed the cooperation of the participating agencies in working on the massive case and pointed out how the new criminal enterprise law made it possible for enhanced sentencing to be applied to violent offenders.

"This law has teeth," he said after explaining the charges.

Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy also touted the collaborative work of all of the investigators and agencies involved.

"It comes down to all of us working together, all the police departments, the sheriff's office," Abernathy said. "The technology that we have today is unbelievable. I never thought I would ever see it in my lifetime and us working together and using that allowed us to solve this case along with the great investigative work that investigators are doing every day."

Abernathy also went on to thank Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall for shepherding the legislation to the governor's desk.

"It's very important for them to actually listen to law enforcement and understand what we're dealing with and make these laws that make it easier for us to solve these crimes and this is an example of that," he said.

Tuscaloosa Police Chief Brent Blankley was also in attendance for the press conference Friday and said that while the leaders of the agencies get to take the credit, most don't understand the amount of work put in by investigators behind the scenes.

"I know at the Tuscaloosa Police Department we've ramped up details in the city you know the sheriff's office, everybody was tired of crime and when you have one of those people in the community that come up to you and say 'Hey thank y'all so much for being out here working' and these investigators are working nonstop it means a lot to them, it means a lot to us because in Tuscaloosa we're tired of the crime."

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