A Montgomery man has been sentenced to 40 years in federal prison for his involvement in a fatal shooting at a local gas station. Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson announced that Rodriques Javaun Humphrey, 20, received the sentence on February 24, 2026. There is no parole in the federal system.
Court records indicate that on January 7, 2025, officers from the Montgomery Police Department and the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency were near Zelda Road when they heard gunshots exchanged between two vehicles at a gas station. When officers arrived at the scene, they saw three individuals fleeing. One person was struck by gunfire and died at the scene.
Two suspects ran toward an apartment complex behind the gas station. Humphrey, identified as one of them, was carrying a rifle and a backpack and fired at responding officers while fleeing. Deputies from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office and an MPD K-9 unit assisted in locating the suspects. One individual complied with commands and was taken into custody; Humphrey continued to flee but was eventually apprehended. Officers recovered his rifle.
A search of Humphrey’s backpack uncovered several plastic bags containing marijuana and a digital scale. Investigators also found an AR-style pistol fitted with a machinegun conversion device, making it fully automatic. The serial number on this firearm had been scratched off.
On August 13, 2025, Humphrey pleaded guilty to multiple charges: illegal possession of a machinegun, possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number, possession with intent to distribute a controlled substance, and possession of a firearm in furtherance of drug trafficking.
The third suspect who fled—Ladarius Lamar Knight—ran into a fast-food restaurant across the street while armed with a firearm before being apprehended by ALEA officers. Knight previously pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm; he faces up to 15 years in prison.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) including its Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS), Montgomery Police Department, and Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office investigated this case. Assistant United States Attorney John J. Geer III is prosecuting.
“This case is part of Operation Take Back America—a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime,” according to Acting United States Attorney Kevin Davidson.
