Updated 12/21 at 7:22
The Birmingham Police Department has confirmed an arrest in the homicide of Destiny Washington. Carlos Stephens, UAB student and former UAB student athlete, was taken into custody after turning himself in Saturday.
“A capital murder warrant was obtained for the death of Destiny Washington,” The Birmingham Police Department said in a statement.
The Birmingham Police Department said Stephens is currently in custody of the Jefferson County Jail with no bond.
A spokesperson of the university confirmed that Stephens is currently a student at UAB and was a student athlete in 2017.
On Dec. 17, UAB student, Destiny Washington, was killed after being shot in the parking lot of the Hill Student Center.
Police believe the shooting occurred while trying to sell a pair of headphones, according to an email sent from the university.
At this time, the university is not releasing any additional information until the investigation is complete.
“Because this is an ongoing investigation, and out of respect for the victim and her family, we are not sharing additional information at this time,” Wrote University Relations in an email to Kaleidoscope. “However, we will when it is appropriate. In the meantime, please keep the victim and her family and friends in your thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.”
Students and employees did not receive a notification at the time of the shooting, also known as a B-alert notification. The building was closed at the time of the shooting.
“Birmingham Police responded to Hill after the victim was transported by private vehicle to Children’s of Alabama, and UAB Police was notified after that,” UAB wrote in the distributed email. “B-Alerts are sent when there is an active threat to campus.”
UAB said the university’s police department determined there was no longer a threat to campus by the time they were notified of the shooting.
Two weeks ago, UAB students and employees received a B-alert notification about an armed robbery that occurred near the Sterne Library on campus. The notification said the meeting was intended to be the sale of a phone, but turned into an armed robbery.
“This afternoon’s incident occurred during a meeting arranged online to buy a phone and is a reminder that meeting strangers to buy/sell/trade goods can be dangerous,” UAB Emergency Management wrote in an email at that time. “Please identify a safe place like a police station for such meetings.”
In response to last night’s shooting death, the university is offering counseling services to students and employees. For more information, click here https://www.uab.edu/students/counseling/
