The suspect in several deadly Birmingham shootings this summer, including a mass shooting in Five Points South, has been indicted in 11 cases.
However, his rap sheet suggests he shouldn't have been on the streets.
Damien Laron McDaniel, 22, of Forestdale, has a lengthy criminal history in Jefferson County. He is now behind bars after being named a suspect in the September 21 shooting in front of Hush Lounge in Birmingham's Five Points South community that left four dead and 17 injured.
In the weeks following the high-profile shooting, charges racked up against McDaniel in unrelated shooting deaths.
Court documents show McDaniel would have been in prison if not for the decision of Jefferson County Judge David Carpenter just one year before McDaniel went on his alleged shooting sprees.
In April 2023, McDaniel was sentenced to 15 years split two years to serve with three years probation for two counts of attempted murder.
The charges stemmed from a 2019 shooting into an occupied vehicle. His bond was revoked in that case after he was found with stolen firearms in his vehicle in January 2020.
McDaniel was put back in jail but was soon re-released. His bond was repeatedly revoked for infractions until he eventually struck a plea deal with Carpenter. The judge gave McDaniel 776 days of jail credit, along with his split sentence.
A year into his probation, McDaniel began posting videos on social media holding firearms, and that's when his deadly rampage unfolded, according to prosecutors.
For the Hush Lounge shooting, McDaniel is charged with capital murder and 17 counts of first-degree assault.
Tahj Booker, 27, Carlos McCain, 27, and Roderick Lynn Patterson, all of Birmingham, and Anitra Holloman, 21, of Bessemer, were killed.
McDaniel is also charged in two homicides that happened within days of the Five Points shooting.
He is charged with intentional murder in the death of Diontranet Tinae Brown, who was killed on September 19 inside the 604 Bar and Lounge.
He is charged with capital murder and three counts of attempted murder in the death of Jamarcus McIntrye on September 22. McIntyre was found shot to death on a sidewalk at 775 81st Place South. Two others were shot and injured.
A grand jury heard those cases and indicted McDaniel on Monday.
The grand jury also indicted McDaniel in another mass shooting that happened on July 13 at Trendsetters Lounge.
Lerandus Anderson, Stevie McGhee, Markeshia Gettings and Angela Weatherspoon were killed in the birthday party shooting.
McDaniel was also indicted in the capital murder case of Charlie Herbert Moore, who was shot and killed at an apartment on August 13.
McDaniel had a juvenile record as well and was charged with attempted murder in 2021 in another case, which the grand jury no billed.
He is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail without bond for the capital murder offenses. His other bonds total $1,805,000.
Carpenter also granted a Bessemer inmate bond for reckless murder in the death of a female minor. That inmate, Raukeem Cunningham of Lipscomb, was then charged with shooting three people at a gas station.
Meanwhile, Carpenter frequently posts politically charged, pro-Democrat messages on X, most recently expressing his support for President Joe Biden and his son, Hunter Biden.
He has described himself as "liberal trash."
"I’m liberal trash too, and I’m your worst nightmare. I’m an elected official. A far left, liberal, progressive, democratic socialist, white ('traitor to his race') native Alabamian," Carpenter posted on X in February.
"The world will miss [President Biden]," he posted Tuesday.
On November 11, he said, "President Biden should at least commute Hunter Biden's sentence. Otherwise he risks being a political target."
President Biden should at least commute Hunter Biden’s sentence. Otherwise he risks being a political target. https://t.co/tlEo9tAxKo
— Judge David Carpenter (@DavidOCarpenter) November 12, 2024
Carpenter serves on Alabama's 10th Judicial Circuit Place 5, where he presides over the criminal division. He also established a veterans court in Jefferson County.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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