Police said officers investigated reports involving the Stonewall Drive home and increased patrols before Sunday’s fatal shooting.
IRONDALE, Ala. — The shooting deaths of two people at a Stonewall Drive house have renewed concerns about a property where neighbors said police had repeatedly responded to reports of drug activity, squatting and other disturbances.
Irondale police said the department investigated complaints involving the home during the past year. Lt. Jason Hill said officers increased patrols in the area after receiving new reports several weeks before the Sunday night shooting.
Police were called to the 700 block of Stonewall Drive at about 9:45 p.m. after reports of gunfire. Officers found Andrew David Cole, 33, of Huntsville, Texas, and Alexis Josephine Coates, 32, of Birmingham, with multiple gunshot wounds. Both died despite efforts by first responders.
Neighbors said the house had caused concern for months. They described frequent police visits and said they believed nearly a dozen people who did not have permission to live there had sometimes stayed at the property. Police had not confirmed the neighbors’ description of those occupants.
Hill said the department was committed to addressing residents’ concerns but had to act within constitutional and legal limits. Police did not release details about the outcomes of earlier investigations, whether officers found evidence of criminal activity or whether anyone had been removed from the property.
Investigators were still trying to establish who lived at the house and who was visiting on the night of the killings. Police also had not determined the full relationship among the victims and the man accused in their deaths, although Hill said all three were acquaintances.
Laderrick Landen Broadnax, 23, of Birmingham, was arrested Monday night in Talladega County with assistance from the U.S. Marshals Service and the Talladega County Sheriff’s Office. He is charged with capital murder involving two or more victims and is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.
Police said they believe Broadnax was the only person responsible for the shooting and are not seeking additional suspects. Authorities have not announced a motive or explained what brought Broadnax, Cole and Coates together at the home.
The charge against Broadnax remains an allegation, and he is presumed innocent unless proved guilty. Information about his first court hearing and legal representation had not been released as of Wednesday.
Police said the homicide investigation remains open, but investigators do not believe there is a continuing threat connected to the shooting. Questions also remain about the property’s occupants, the earlier complaints and whether those issues had any connection to the killings.
Author note: Last updated July 15, 2026.