BROOKWOOD, AL — The Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit says a suspect is in custody after two people and a dog were found fatally shot inside a Brookwood home Monday afternoon.
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As Patch previously reported, the investigation began around 1 p.m. Monday when Brookwood Police were asked to conduct a welfare check at a home in the 12900 block of Alabama Junction Road.
Captain Jack Kennedy, commander of the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit, said Tuesday the home's primary resident was out of the country and had asked a friend to house-sit and care for a dog.
He then said after being unable to reach the friend for an extended period between Saturday and Sunday, the resident accessed doorbell camera footage and saw a man acting suspiciously on the home's back porch during the late-night and early-morning hours Tuesday.
The resident contacted the landlord, who then requested Brookwood Police perform a welfare check.
Kennedy said when officers opened the front door, they found one deceased victim inside the home and discovered a second victim inside a bedroom closet after clearing the home.
Investigators found that both victims had been shot to death, along with a dog that lived at the residence.
The victims were identified as Jose Felix Alvarez-Duenas, 31, and Jazmine Alexis Bates, 22, who authorities said was a student at the University of Alabama.
Kennedy said the victims, the homeowner and the suspect all previously worked together at the same local business.
The Violent Crimes Unit immediately assumed the investigation, with assistance from the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office Crime Scene and Cyber units.
Kennedy said electronic devices were recovered from the home, and investigators used doorbell camera footage along with other evidence to identify the suspect as De'Kendrick Crawford, 24.
He explained that Crawford was already wanted on an outstanding felony warrant charging him with shooting into an occupied building stemming from a May 2026 incident near the University of Alabama campus.
In that case, Kennedy said Crawford had been fired from a contractor job on campus and allegedly fired multiple shots as he drove away, striking an occupied office building adjacent to Coleman Coliseum. Crawford allegedly had been evading arrest since warrants were issued in that case.
He then pointed out that this was not the past job which Crawford shared with the victim.
Based on video evidence and other physical evidence collected, investigators obtained a capital murder warrant charging Crawford with the killings of two or more people.
The U.S. Marshals Task Force was then called in to assist in locating Crawford, with investigators tracking him to a relative's apartment on Deerfield Drive in Northport.
Kennedy said Crawford refused to surrender, prompting officers to secure the apartment building while multiple agencies responded.
"After a tactical breach and search of the building, Crawford was found hiding in an attic crawlspace and was taken into custody approximately 10 hours after the victims were discovered," Kennedy said. "He was committed to jail on his outstanding warrant and multiple other charges will be added as the investigation continues."
Participating agencies included the Violent Crimes Unit, U.S. Marshals Task Force, Northport Police Department and its tactical team, Tuscaloosa Police Department and its Cyber Unit, the Tuscaloosa County Sheriff's Office and its K-9 Unit, and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Kennedy praised the coordinated response among local, state and federal law enforcement agencies.
"This case is another example of the excellent law enforcement agencies that we have in Tuscaloosa County, and the value and efficiency of the several multi-agency task forces," he said. "This critical case began at a small rural municipality, concerned a suspect that had committed crimes on the University of Alabama campus, and every agency in Tuscaloosa County worked together seamlessly to locate and safely arrest the suspect in just a few hours."
Kennedy said the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit will continue working with the District Attorney's Office as the case moves forward.
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