Deanthony Amari Cooper-Cain, a 23-year-old Black man remembered by loved ones as loving, kind, and funny, was a father of two. His life was abruptly taken in a burst of gunfire on a Sunday evening in Birmingham, Alabama, leaving his family with years of unanswered questions and unresolved grief.
On February 24, 2019, Deanthony was a passenger in a car being driven by his father, Derrick Ruffins, through the western part of the city. As they traveled in the 400 block of Avenue W near Pratt City, a small sedan pulled up behind them and someone inside began shooting into their vehicle. Struck by the gunfire, Ruffins sped away from the assailant, driving about two miles before stopping in the 2800 block of Pike Road to get help.
When Birmingham Police officers responded to the scene on Pike Road, they found both Deanthony and his father suffering from gunshot wounds. Both men were transported to UAB Hospital for treatment.
While Ruffins survived his non-life-threatening injuries, Deanthony Amari Cooper-Cain was pronounced deceased by hospital staff.
The Birmingham Police Department launched a homicide investigation, believing the shooting was a targeted attack rather than a random act of violence. However, the case quickly grew cold due to a lack of evidence and apparent witnesses. Investigators have not publicly identified any suspects or made any arrests in connection with the murder. The absence of progress has been a source of profound agony for Deanthony's family.
Nearly a year after the shooting, Deanthony's parents, who had since moved to Mississippi, expressed their deep frustration with the investigation. His father, Derrick Ruffins, stated he had not heard much from the police and felt as though they had given up. "To have something that random happen and everything, there seems to be no answers whatsoever,” Ruffins said. "Some say time heals all wounds but with no justice, how can time ever heal?" Deanthony's mother also recalled the painful hours after the shooting, when she was taken to police headquarters for questioning and had to learn of her son's death from her husband, who called her from the trauma unit.
In response to the family's concerns in early 2020, Birmingham Police Deputy Chief Scott Praytor insisted the department had not given up. "The frustration they feel, we feel,” Praytor said, acknowledging the difficulty of the case. "These guys take these cases very personally. No open homicide is just ever closed and shelved. We're always talking to people in jail. We're talking to people in the community. We're doing everything we can to generate information.” He also noted that the "no snitch" culture can make it difficult for investigators to solve cases when people with information refuse to come forward.
Years have passed, and the case remains unsolved. Deanthony's family continues to wait for a break in the investigation that could lead to an arrest and bring them a measure of justice. "We just want justice for our son," his father pleaded. "His mom needs to know what happened to her son. I need to know what happened to my son.” As of January 2020, the investigation into the homicide of Deanthony Amari Cooper-Cain was still ongoing.
