Mother of Amazon fulfillment center employee shot, killed at work demands justice
By Ayron Lewallen
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BESSEMER, Alabama (WVTM) — A mother is grieving the loss of her son, who was killed in a shooting at the Amazon Fulfillment Center in Bessemer.
Tyler Alexander’s mother told WVTM 13 it’s hard to keep up with the days, and it’s been hard to eat ever since her son was shot and killed. She said she hasn’t seen her son since he left for work on Sunday and was only able to identify him through a picture the coroner showed her. Now, she’s fighting for justice and trying to keep a smile like her son would have.
“I’m looking at my watch at 4:30—checking his location,” Brown said. “His location still saying Bessemer, and it’s going to continue to say Bessemer, Alabama on his iPhone, and it hurts me. It hurts me really bad.”
Brown said she always set her alarm for 3:30 in the morning to make sure Alexander had something to eat when he got off after working 12 hours overnight at the fulfillment center. Before he died, Alexander had a taste for a Philly cheesesteak or chicken and waffles. After waking up to several missed calls and text messages from her daughter, she opened Facebook and saw her son lying on the ground dead in the parking lot.
Brown said she doesn’t know why her son was killed, but she hopes he will be remembered for his smile, bubbly personality and love for kids and animals. She said just a few months ago, Alexander saw a dog on the side of the road and brought it home. She said he took the dog to two different humane societies before finding one that was willing to treat it. Brown said that’s just the kind of person he was.
“They took a good boy from the world,” Brown said. “He was going to be somebody. He was going to make a difference. He was making a difference. He was at work, being a productive citizen, making good money—legal money—and they took him away. I’ll never be the same. They took my boy, but I know justice will be served.”
To honor Alexander’s life, Amazon said it planted a tree in his memory in the Amazon rainforest. Brown said her son was a student at Lawson State Community College and wanted to be a nurse.
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