Hoover police investigate fatal shooting at Home Depot off U.S. 280

Hoover police are investigating the fatal shooting of a Home Depot employee who was gunned down early this morning as he left work at the store on U.S. 280.

Xavier Montrez Beasley, 25, of Birmingham was getting off work about 12:30 a.m., several hours after the store closed, and was walking to his vehicle in the parking lot when a man appeared with a gun and started firing at him, Hoover police Capt. Gregg Rector said.

There was no robbery attempt, and no words were exchanged prior to shots being fired, Rector said. Because another employee was nearby at the time, it appears Beasley was known by and specifically targeted by the gunman, Rector said.

A nearby witness ran back into the store and called 911. Beasley suffered multiple gunshot wounds and was pronounced dead on the scene by Hoover paramedics.

The shooter ran away on foot, and no get-away vehicle was observed, Rector said. He is still at large, but detectives have been busy all day working the case, Rector said this afternoon.

“We are going to keep digging until we can find somebody that can shed some light on who wanted to harm this guy,” Rector said.

Anyone with information about this case should call Hoover police Sgt. Keith Czeskleba at 739-6795 or the Hoover Police Department at 822-5300. Tipsters wishing to remain anonymous can contact Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama at 254-7777 and be eligible for a cash reward.

The Hoover Police Department sends its deepest sympathies to Beasley’s family, Rector said.

This was Hoover’s third homicide this year, Rector said.

The first occurred on Jan. 5 when 34-year-old Victoria Morrow was beaten and stabbed to death in her Cypress Gardens apartment on Carousel Court. Police said Morrow’s estranged boyfriend, Jeffrey Dewayne Mixon, beat and stabbed Morrow to death, beat and bound her 18-year-old daughter and a 19-year-old friend, sexually assaulted the 19-year-old, stole a car and kidnapped his 5-year-old daughter. Mixon was charged with capital murder during a kidnapping, capital murder during a burglary, capital murder during a robbery, capital murder during a rape, capital murder during sodomy and assault.

The second homicide was on March 21 when 30-year-old Ryan Alexander Moore was shot to death in the Running Brook Condominiums. Moore’s co-worker and roommate, 30-year-old Cody Allen Pike, was charged with murder.