Major Crimes Unit arrest

Published on January 13, 2023

The Huntsville Police Department (HPD) has charged both John Brandon Boles, 29, and Ethan Lyn Bates, 20, with murder following an incident in the 200 block of Derrick Street on Tuesday, Jan. 10. HPD officers responded to the area around 9 p.m., and HEMSI transported an individual to the hospital where they were pronounced dead.

The individual was taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences in Huntsville to determine a cause of death. An autopsy performed this week confirmed the person died from a gunshot wound.

HPD Major Crimes Unit Investigators believe the suspects were driving in the area when they discharged a weapon leading to the shooting death of the individual.

At this time, investigators are still working to notify the victim’s next of kin and cannot release the individual’s identity.

Boles and Bates are both currently being booked into the Madison County Jail on a murder charge. The investigation is ongoing and no further information is available at this time.