Sylvester Allen, a 68-year-old Black man, was killed in Brighton, Alabama, on December 26, 2018. Neighbors heard about four gunshots that morning. Allen returned home to find an intruder or intruders had forced entry, and a violent confrontation followed. He was shot, managed to stumble out of his house, and collapsed near the end of his driveway where he was pronounced dead.

Brighton Police and the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office opened a homicide investigation. Investigators said the motive appeared to be robbery and that there may have been as many as three suspects involved. No arrests were publicly detailed in the immediate aftermath, and few specifics about the investigation or any legal proceedings are available. A name, Carlos Heard, has been associated with a later charge in connection with the murder but further details are scarce.

If anyone knew Sylvester Allen or has information about what happened that morning, please share what is known.