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BIRMINGHAM, Ala (BFMG) — A man was shot to death outside his home in January along Mountain Drive in Tarrant, Alabama after returning from picking up a pizza, authorities said.
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Buford Troman “Pete” White, 36. He was pronounced dead at the scene at 7:33 p.m., according to Tarrant Police Chief Wendell Major.
White lived at the residence with his mother and a female acquaintance, who found him wounded in the front yard and called 911. Major said White had been shot multiple times.
Last week, Tarrant police announced they had identified two suspects in White’s killing: Eddie Jordan Jr. and Javaris Russell Jr., both 19. Jordan was captured Wednesday by U.S. Marshals following a brief chase but later escaped the Birmingham Police Department’s custody while being held at UAB Hospital.
White’s sister, Cyndi Hebert, said the past three months without her brother have been devastating.
“We will never be whole again,” Hebert told WBRC. “My brother was an amazing person with a beautiful heart, and he would have never hurt anybody.”
Hebert described the horror her family endured after learning Jordan had escaped just hours after being captured. She criticized the authorities for failing to keep him secured.
“You had one job, and that was to keep your eye on him,” she said. “This guy is dangerous, and you just let him go.”
Hebert said she has many unanswered questions about how the escape occurred.
“What went wrong? Why wasn’t he cuffed? How does someone with two federal cases and two capital murder warrants simply walk out?” she asked.
Authorities said one of the suspects is also connected to another homicide investigation in Jefferson County. During a press conference, Major warned the public that both suspects should be considered “armed and dangerous.”
Hebert said she fears for other families and the broader community while Jordan remains at large.
“My brother was gunned down in his own front yard,” she said. “I had to give my mother CPR instructions over the phone while she begged her son to come back. That’s a sound I never want to hear again.”
Since White’s death, his mother has moved in with Hebert, losing her home, job and car in the aftermath.
“My mom lost everything that night,” Hebert said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information leading to Jordan’s capture and encourages anyone with information into his whereabouts to submit a tip online. The Birmingham Police Department directed all questions regarding the escape to the U.S. Marshals Service. Efforts to reach the Marshals Service for comment were not immediately successful.
