Anson Henderson, 30, never made it off his own front porch, the place that should have been safest, because a family dispute spiraled into gunfire that took his life in seconds. Birmingham police say the trouble began inside the Collegeville home on Saturday morning, where Henderson and the mother of his children got into an argument that grew heated enough for her to leave.
leave the house. What no one imagined was that her sister, 26-year-old Brittney Watson, would show up moments later armed and ready to escalate the situation beyond anything that could be walked back.Watson reportedly drove to the home, stepped out, and opened fire almost immediately.
Neighbors heard the rapid cracks of gunshots just after 10 a.m., followed by frantic shouting. Henderson collapsed on the porch, struck multiple times. Fire-rescue crews rushed to the scene and tried to save him, but the wounds were too severe. He was pronounced dead where he fell, his final moments witnessed by people who had known him for years.
Responding officers scanned the area for a fleeing vehicle, locating one that matched witness descriptions only minutes later. A traffic stop confirmed their suspicions: behind the wheel was Brittney Watson. She was detained without incident. Investigators recovered a handgun inside the car, and forensic analysis quickly matched the bullets pulled from Henderson’s porch to that weapon.
Watson has been charged with murder and with discharging a firearm into an occupied residence. Detectives say the argument that started the chain of events did not involve her directly and have found no justification for her decision to intervene with deadly force.Family members now face the impossible task of explaining to children why their father will never come home again, all because a moment of anger was met with a gun instead of restraint.
About the Author
