Following the murder-suicide that killed her son and his wife, Precious Elicia J’anae Johnson, at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital in Homewood, Alabama, the mother of Kynath William Terry Jr. has publicly expressed her deep shock and sadness.
She noted that Johnson had expressly requested that Terry’s family not be present at the hospital during delivery and that the couple had experienced marital troubles in the weeks preceding the birth of their first child. Despite these conflicts, the mother said that she never thought her son would be violent and conveyed her utter grief at losing both her son and daughter-in-law in such an unexpected and unexpected manner.
A devastating domestic murder-suicide unfolded on Sunday evening March 1 2026 around 9:25 p.m. inside the fifth floor of the Women’s Medical Center at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital located at 2010 Brookwood Medical Center Drive in Homewood Alabama.
This specialized postpartum unit within the major medical campus serves new mothers across the Birmingham metropolitan area and features private patient rooms dedicated to recovery after childbirth. Homewood police responded swiftly to reports of gunshots at the facility triggering an immediate lockdown and coordinated emergency response in the normally secure hospital environment.
Officers arrived on the fifth floor to find 24 year old Precious Elicia J’anae Johnson of Birmingham and 19 year old Kynath William Terry Jr. of Midfield both deceased from gunshot wounds inside a single patient room. Precious Johnson had been admitted as a recovering patient after recently giving birth to the couple’s first child. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office ruled the deaths a murder-suicide classifying the incident as a domestic assault with Johnson sustaining multiple gunshot wounds and Terry dying from a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
Precious Elicia J’anae Johnson was a new mother who had just welcomed her baby into the world when the tragedy struck. Family members described her as a young woman full of hope and excitement as she began her journey into motherhood at the Brookwood facility. Her sudden death has left loved ones and the broader Birmingham community in profound shock as they grapple with the loss of a woman whose life was centered on the promise of raising her newborn child.
Kynath William Terry Jr. her 19 year old husband from Midfield carried out the shooting before turning the gun on himself according to preliminary findings. The couple had recently become parents together and authorities confirmed the incident stemmed from domestic issues within their relationship. Terry’s actions ended two young lives in a matter of moments inside a place intended for healing and new beginnings.
The couple’s newborn baby was not present in the room at the time of the shooting and remained completely unharmed. No other patients staff members or visitors sustained any injuries during the incident which prompted a brief hospital lockdown until authorities confirmed the scene was secure. Medical teams on the fifth floor continued to support other recovering mothers while police processed evidence at the Women’s Medical Center.
Homewood police continue their active investigation into the March 1 shooting at Baptist Health Brookwood Hospital with full cooperation from the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. The case has prompted renewed discussions about domestic violence prevention and enhanced security measures in hospital maternity units across the Birmingham area. Resources for anyone experiencing relationship challenges remain available through the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800 799 7233 as the community mourns the abrupt loss of a young family and reflects on the need for greater awareness and support.
