Family holds onto hope 20 years after Mobile’s ‘Shrimp Man’ cold case murder

MOBILE, Ala. ( WKRG ) — A woman in Mobile County is holding out hope that one day the murder of her father can be solved.

This week marks 20 years since Grady Baber, also known as the “Shrimp Man,” was shot and killed in Mobile — no one has ever been charged.

Grady Baber is described as a good man and a good father whose family still doesn’t have an answer to their biggest question: what happened in 2004?

Pictures and memories are all that’s left. Almost every year Debra Baber tries to keep her dad’s name alive, contacting local media outlets to talk about her dad’s murder.

WKRG News 5 covered the story several times over the years including in 2017 , 2019 , and 2020 .

Grady Baber was shot selling shrimp near the intersection of Hercules and what was Live Oak Street 20 years ago tonight on July 2, 2004. He died early the next morning. Despite having at least one witness, investigators have not yet pressed charges against anyone.

Grady Baber’s death has torn the family apart and left family members wondering if it will ever be solved. His daughter says he was a man who was always working and always looking out for his children.

“He was a family man. He loved the grandkids. And my. My grandkids, great-grandkids. I don’t see their great-grandpa no more. [The shooter] took something away from us that he can never put back in our life,” said the victim’s daughter Debra Baber.

Investigators say shortly after police arrived, a torrential downpour soaked the crime scene, potentially washing away vital evidence. Debra Baber hopes someone comes forward before she’s too old to keep her father’s memory alive.

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