LOXLEY — Neighbors of the deceased reported finding the body of 19-year-old Jessie Dade just before 6 a.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 3. The victim’s body was located beneath an oak tree outside of a trailer near his home on Curry Lane in Loxley. It was immediately deemed a homicide investigation, as the initial examination revealed multiple gunshot wounds.

“We found some people that heard gunshots between 9 and 10 p.m. It was not reported to law enforcement. They said they had heard gunshots out there before and didn’t do anything,” said Baldwin County Sheriff Huey “Hoss” Mack Jr. This led investigators to believe the incident took place the previous evening. The shooting occured in the yard outside of Dade’s trailer.

Brandon Leon Hackworth, 18, also of Loxley, was arrested sometime around 3 p.m. the same day and charged with murder. He is being held on a $100,000 bond at the Baldwin County Corrections Center in Bay Minette.

A pistol, believed to be the murder weapon, was found by investigators in a wooded area near where the shooting took place. Authorities are still trying to determine the history on the firearm and trace it back to the last known owner. There appeared to be gang grafitti in various locations at the crime scene, but it is unknown at this point whether it is related to the incident.

Investigators believe the shooting took place during an ongoing argument between the two, making this the third homicide in Baldwin County this year to result from an armed confrontation.