14-year-old faces charges in Alabama murder

Published 3:17 pm Wednesday, May 5, 2021

A 14-year-old Alabama boy faces a murder charge in the shooting death of a man last week, authorities said.

The teenager, of Dothan, was taken into custody Wednesday and transported to the Southeast Alabama Diversion Center, a juvenile lockup. Because of the suspect’s age, no identifying information will be released, Dothan Police said in a news release.

The suspect is accused in the April 29 shooting death of Johnnie Settle, 27, also of Dothan, multiple news agencies reported. Settle was taken to an area hospital, where he was later pronounced dead.

Several witnesses identified the juvenile as the person responsible for the shooting, Lt. Scott Owens. The juvenile and Settle had a disagreement before the shooting, but further details were not immediately available, Owens said.

“The Dothan Police Department would like to thank the many members of the community who came forward to assist us in bringing this case to a close,” the release said. “The relationship with the community is a valued relationship to the Dothan Police Department.”