The Alabama Court of Criminal Appeals has upheld the convictions of a man found guilty in the 2020 Riverchase Galleria shootout that killed 8-year-old Royta Giles Jr., closing out the criminal trial phase of one of the Birmingham area's most painful public tragedies. Demetrius Dewayne Jackson, now 23, was convicted in Jefferson County Circuit Court on February 3, 2025, of reckless manslaughter and three counts of second-degree assault.
Attorney General Steve Marshall announced that the appeals court affirmed Jackson's convictions on September 18, according to WBMA. Jackson was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the manslaughter conviction and 10 years for each assault conviction, per the station's report. The Alabama Attorney General's Criminal Appeals Division handled the appeal after Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr's office prosecuted the original case.
The shooting unfolded on July 3, 2020, when a confrontation near the Galleria's food court escalated into multiple shots fired inside the Hoover mall. Royta Giles Jr., a Jonesboro Elementary School student entering third grade, was fatally shot in the head while waiting with his mother, stepfather, and sisters outside a Children's Place clothing store, which was operating under COVID-19 capacity restrictions at the time, according to Business Insider. Three other people were injured in the gunfire.
How Three Men Faced Different Outcomes
Jackson was one of three men initially indicted on capital murder charges carrying potential death sentences, according to 1819 News. Co-defendants Montez Moses Miracle Coleman and King Gary Williams avoided trial in 2024 by pleading guilty to reckless murder, a Class A felony carrying stiffer penalties than reckless manslaughter, along with three counts of second-degree assault each. Jackson instead went to trial, where his case played out differently.
Hoover police said the shootout stemmed from an ongoing personal feud between the young men that erupted in the food court, the outlet reported. Jackson's defense attorney, Victor Revill, argued at trial that Jackson fired in self-defense while trying to walk away after Coleman pulled a 5.56-caliber AR-style pistol from a backpack and initiated the gunfire.
Accomplice Liability and a Split Jury Verdict
Jefferson County prosecutors argued under Alabama's accomplice liability statute that all three participating gunmen bore criminal responsibility for Giles' death, regardless of whose specific firearm fired the fatal round. Deputy District Attorney Julie McMakin told jurors in closing arguments that “everyone who shot was wrong” and legally accountable, according to coverage from WVTM 13 republished by Yellowhammer News.
The Jefferson County jury deliberated for seven hours across two days before rejecting capital murder and reckless murder charges against Jackson, opting instead for the lesser-included offense of reckless manslaughter in February 2025. Capital murder in Alabama requires proof of specific intent or statutory aggravating factors, a threshold jurors apparently found unmet in Jackson's case.
A Mall With a Troubled Recent History
The 2020 shooting followed a string of violent incidents at Riverchase Galleria, including a Thanksgiving 2018 episode in which a Hoover police officer responding to a shooting mistakenly killed 21-year-old Army veteran Emantic “E.J.” Bradford Jr. The Alabama Attorney General's Office, under Steve Marshall, cleared the officer in 2019, ruling the shooting lawful under the state's self-defense standards.
Following Giles' death, mall management modified safety protocols by introducing specialized K9 security units from Allied Universal Security Services alongside enhanced Hoover Police Department patrols, 1819 News reported, as management sought to restore shopper confidence after three consecutive years of fatal gun incidents at the property. Giles' mother also filed a civil wrongful death lawsuit naming Riverchase Galleria general manager Mike White, property owner Brookfield Properties Retail Inc., and security vendor Andy Frain Services Inc., alleging negligence in failing to maintain safety measures for shopping families.
Mall's Future Now in Question
The legal resolution arrives as Riverchase Galleria itself faces an uncertain future. In June, Hoover city officials announced that owner Brookfield Properties had placed the 1.4 million-square-foot mall up for sale following a 33% decline in visitor foot traffic since 2019, according to AL.com. A six-month consultant study recommended a $240 million mixed-use redevelopment, converting excess retail space into apartments, green space, and a performing arts center.
