In July 2024, Arkia “Kia” Berry, 28, her 5-year-old son Landyn Brooks, and her boyfriend Eric Ashley Jr., 28, were found fatally shot inside a car in Birmingham’s Echo Highlands neighborhood. Just moments before the shooting, Arkia sent a text with the name “Jaco”, a nickname for 25-year-old Jacorrian McGregor, who is now charged with their murders.
Initially reported as a car crash, the scene revealed a violent crime, with over 20 shell casings found nearby, per AL.com. During a preliminary hearing on April 17, Detective Jarvelius Tolliver testified that phone records and messages from both Arkia and McGregor linked him to the case.
Notably, Jacorrian McGregor’s contacts had urged him to “lay low” after the shooting. Arkia was driving, with Eric in the front passenger seat and Landyn in the back. Surveillance footage showed a green Kia. The Kia, which is now under investigation, was later found burned near the victims’ car.
Jacorrian McGregor wasn’t apprehended until February 2025, with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Fugitive Task Force. His connection to the victims, beyond the text message, remains unclear.
Arkia, a hairstylist, and Landyn, a young football player set to start kindergarten, were described as inseparable by family. “She loved her baby so much,” cousin Aniya Berry told WVTM 13.
The tragedy has intensified local concern over gun violence. “When is enough going to be enough?” asked Officer Truman Fitzgerald. Jacorrian McGregor remains jailed without bond as the case proceeds.
#Clique, what are your thoughts?
