UNIONTOWN, Ala. (WSFA) – A 26-year-old man and a 16-year-old are facing charges after Uniontown police said they coordinated a shooting near R.C. Hatch High School, striking two occupied vehicles and narrowly missing a woman and her two young children.
Uniontown Police Chief Michael Kiser said the shooting happened Saturday, July 18, after a fundraising basketball game at the school. Investigators first learned the teenager claimed he felt threatened after seeing two people he believed were staring at him in an intimidating way. But Kiser said the case appears tied to an ongoing dispute rather than a one-time bullying incident.
“There seems to be a previous beef between some of these guys,” Kiser said. “He said the term he used was ‘mean mugging.’ And he said he became afraid, and so he called his own boy and said, ‘Hey, I might need some help down here.’”
Police identified the adult suspect as Sherman Deshuwn Cain, 26, of Uniontown. The juvenile has not been identified due to his age. Kiser said the call for help turned into a plan between the two suspects.
“The adult told the juvenile where to stand so he wouldn’t be struck during the gunfire and made sure that he had a firearm,” Kiser said. “The juvenile waited for him to shoot, and then he began shooting.”
Investigators said the suspects opened fire as the intended vehicle was leaving the area and turning onto West Avenue. Bullets hit that vehicle, and a second vehicle driven by a woman with two young children was also struck. No injuries were reported, but Kiser said one bullet traveled through the second vehicle’s headliner and roof, coming dangerously close to where someone could have been sitting.
“It was very close. It could have been close to a head,” Kiser said. “These types of shootings are senseless. They’re reckless, and we are just not going to tolerate them in our community.”
Cain and the 16-year-old are each charged with two counts of discharging a firearm into an occupied vehicle and second-degree criminal mischief. Cain also faces a felony possession of a controlled substance charge after Kiser said narcotics were found on him during his arrest.
Kiser said Cain was already out on bond in an attempted-murder case from 2023, and he is scheduled to appear in court Thursday, July 23, at 10 a.m. The judge is expected to hold a first appearance and could also address Cain’s bond under Aniah’s Law as prosecutors review whether his earlier bond should be revoked.
The shooting’s proximity to the high school and the teen’s involvement has raised concerns ahead of the August return to school. “Our community is a very quiet community, a very laid-back community,” Kiser said. “We are just not going to accept this type of violence here, especially close to one of our schools.”
Kiser said the Perry County Sheriff’s Office is working on a plan that could place a certified school resource officer at the school. Police also plan more direct student outreach through smaller classroom discussions.
“Instead of just preaching to them, ask them questions,” Kiser said. “‘Why are you feeling this way? Why do you feel like violence is the way? Is it a status symbol? Are you trying to fit in?’” He added, “Children are not going to just come to you and open up about things… You have to ask them.”
Kiser said preventing youth violence will also require accountability at home. “I believe most of the clear answers are going to come from home,” he said, adding, “We’re just not going to tolerate this type of violence.”
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