The Jefferson County man charged with murdering 18-year-old Kimber Mills at a bonfire party is asking a court to drop his charges, arguing he acted in self-defense under Alabama law.
Steven Tyler Whitehead, 28, is accused of shooting four people at the October 19, 2025, gathering, including Mills, a senior at Cleveland High School who was shot in the head and later died. Mills was a cheerleader who had planned to attend the University of Alabama.
The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office said in its initial statement on the shooting that “a verbal and physical altercation escalated, resulting in gunfire.”
Silas McCay, one of the surviving victims, has said he and a friend confronted Whitehead after learning he was allegedly bothering Mills.
“My buddy and I found him, and we started fighting him. I grabbed him and put him over my shoulder and had him on the ground. My buddy pulled me off him, and that’s when he pulled his gun out and started shooting,” McCay told WBRC.
Whitehead is currently free on bond while facing pending murder and attempted murder charges. He is set to argue for pre-trial immunity under Alabama’s self-defense statute at a hearing in December.
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