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The family continues to wait for Justice to Be Served and anxiously await the Grand Jury indictment of the responsible parties for Tristan Sheppard’s death.

The lack of transparency, shifting stories, and refusal to release basic information has destroyed any trust the community has in the local system. Our family who has lost our loved one has every reason to continue to question and press for answers. It now appears our son, brother, grandson, nephew, and cousin was hunted—not helped—by those who took an oath to serve and protect. The aggressive pursuit and narrative manipulation reflect something far more dangerous than incomp

While authorities initially stated Tristan, who they believed was intoxicated, ran from officers and ended up in the river, his father disputes this account, noting that Tristan did not know how to swim. The family also questions the circumstances of his death, pointing to...

Family members later learned that Tristan’s head and neck were wrapped in a towel or sheet when they got him in the hospital room. This is a detail that was never disclosed by law enforcement. Tristan’s body bore visible signs of trauma: • Severe bruising & lacerations • Head injury • Facial injuries (battered face) • Possible broken neck • What appeared to be a gunshot-like wound on his thigh, allegedly covered by foreign material None of this was ever mentioned in the of

Why was the family denied the basic dignity of identifying their loved one? Why did the police officers not prioritize our family seeing the body? Why did the Coroner move so quickly to seal the body, yet attempted to donate Tristan’s organs, but he was told they were “mushed”? What was being hidden?

After delivering that explanation, that early morning, Chief Rodney Smith even asked to pray with the family — a gesture that now seems disingenuous and offensive, given how many facts were omitted, distorted, or hidden from the beginning. He never mentioned any visible injuries, any misconduct, or any civil rights violations.

It’s been 16 months, and we still don’t know what happened in his final moments. From day one, we’ve been denied the police reports, the official autopsy records with photos, body cam, and dash cam footage. If this was a simple drowning, why hide the evidence? Two days after his death, the Centreville Chief of Police held a press conference and claimed there was no physical contact before Tristan entered the Cahaba River. But Tristan’s body told a very different story.

They were told they could not see Tristan’s body. That his body had already been sent to Rockco Funeral Home and that they would need to wait 3–5 days until AFTER an autopsy was performed by the State Department of Forensics, BEFORE they could see Tristan. However, when Tristan’s father arrived at Rockco, staff told him Tristan was not there and he had actually been sent to the hospital morgue. (Imagine this game of lies, deceit, and trauma inflicted on the parents on the ver

Call to Action for Justice in Tristan Sheppard's death: sign the petition, send letters by October 31st, 2025, and demand evidence release, transparency, and a timeline regarding Grand Jury

...the family has not been provided any explanation for what shows as clear physical trauma Tristan suffered: bruises, lacerations, and other injuries that were plainly evident on his face, arms, back, and leg.

Please know this is not just about our family’s loss—it’s about the ongoing abuse of power and excessive force that many in our community have experienced at the hands of certain officers.

Some alleged Tristan was beaten, handcuffed, and shots were heard fired at the scene —contradicting statements by Centreville Police Chief Rodney Smith, who claimed there was no physical contact before he entered into the Cahaba River.