Around the same time Damien McDaniel was arrested for six murders (now fourteen) last October, he was also featured in a documentary about violent street thugs.
At what point should the local justice system be considered an accomplice to crime?
In 2024, Birmingham, AL, had its highest murder rate in the history of the city. One person has now been charged with committing 9% of all those murders.
Damien Laron McDaniel III, 22, has been charged with a staggering 14 murders in Birmingham, spanning from July 2023 to September 2024. This makes one murder per month for fourteen months. He is also charged with wounding twenty-nine others. This includes two of the top ten deadliest mass shootings of 2024.
However, these murders did not start out of the blue. He is the son of a monster. In 2007, his father, Damien McDaniel Jr, was charged with the murder of two brothers. The Birmingham newspaper says he was the leader of the a Bloods street gang. He was never prosecuted for one murder charge. He was given 26 years for attempting to burn alive and then shooting the other victim. Damien McDaniel Jr is no longer listed as being in custody.
McDaniel III was on “probation” for two attempted murders the entire time he was accused of committing
Damien McDaniel III has a classified juvenile record. His first unclassified crime is the attempted murder of two men on Halloween in 2019. McDaniel riddled a car with bullets in Fairfield, Alabama, a suburb of Birmingham, while two people were inside. He was 17 at the time.
Despite being a major threat to society, the office of Jefferson County – Bessemer Division District Attorney Lynneice Washington gave him a plea deal for only two years, time served, in jail! Washington has been praised for being the “first Black” DA of the Bessemer Division (Jefferson County has two DAs) and the first-ever Black female DA in Alabama.
After being released on probation, he posted pictures of himself brandishing guns on social media at least nine times! He could have been arrested, had his probation revoked, and his double attempted murder sentence would have reverted to fifteen years! He also could have been charged with gun crimes and faced up to ten years. The local authorities were hellbent on keeping him out of prison and walking the streets!
- July 12, 2023 – Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton was fatally shot while on duty at Fire Station 9 in the Norwood community. The targeted attack also wounded Sgt. Jamal Jones, who survived, leading to an additional attempted murder charge against McDaniel.
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January 10, 2024 – McDaniel is charged with the intentional murder of 21-year-old Mia Nickson, shot outside her family’s home in east Birmingham. Police have classified this as a murder-for-hire case, adding a layer of complexity to the investigation.
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April 9, 2024 – Anthony Lamar Love Jr., a 44-year-old UPS driver, husband, and father, was ambushed and killed in what authorities also allege was a murder-for-hire. This brought McDaniel’s alleged victim count to three by mid-2024.
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July 13, 2024 – Trendsetters Lounge Mass Shooting: During an adult birthday party at the Trendsetters Lounge on 27th Street North, McDaniel allegedly opened fire, killing four people: Angela Weatherspoon, 56, Markeisha Gettings, 42, Stevie McGhee, 39, and Lerandus Anderson, 24. Ten others were wounded. He faces four counts of capital murder and additional assault charges in this incident, shared with co-defendant Hatarius Woods.
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August 13, 2024 – McDaniel and co-defendant Hatarius Woods are charged with capital murder during a burglary in the death of 61-year-old Charlie Herbert Moore, found shot in his Birmingham home after a police confrontation involving a stolen vehicle.
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September 19, 2024 – McDaniel is accused of murdering 35-year-old Diontrante Tinae Brown, an innocent bystander killed inside the 604 Bar and Lounge on Ninth Street North. This marked the beginning of a violent three-day stretch.
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September 21, 2024 – Hush Lounge Mass Shooting: In Birmingham’s Five Points South district, McDaniel allegedly carried out a mass shooting outside the Hush hookah lounge, killing Carlos McCain, 27, Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26, Anitra Holloman, 21, and Tahj Booker, 27. Seventeen others were injured in what police suspect was a paid hit targeting at least one victim. He faces capital murder and 17 counts of attempted murder charges.
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September 22, 2024 – Less than 24 hours later, McDaniel is accused of the robbery-shooting death of 32-year-old Jamarcus McIntyre in South Eastlake, alongside additional attempted murder charges for two others wounded in the incident. Three co-defendants are also charged in this case.
