A gathering in the Buhl community of Tuscaloosa County turned deadly in the early hours of January 20, 2024, when an altercation at a venue off Pate Road erupted into gunfire around 3 a.m. Twenty-year-old Cayden Beau Nolen of nearby Moundville was shot and later died of his injuries. Three other people were wounded that morning; two were hospitalized with serious injuries and a fourth sustained non-critical wounds.

Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit investigators interviewed witnesses and processed a large, complex crime scene before identifying three suspects. Later the same day, three men from different parts of Tuscaloosa County were arrested: Dallas Clark, 22, of Northport; Jarrett Booth, 21, of Buhl; and Zach Smith, 23, of Buhl. Each was charged with one count of murder in Nolen’s death and three counts of attempted murder for the others who were shot; all were booked into the Tuscaloosa County Jail and held without bond. Authorities said additional charges could follow as the investigation continued.

Did anyone at the venue that night see what sparked the altercation or who fired the shots?