Gunfire erupted in a west Birmingham neighborhood Saturday night, leaving one man dead in the middle of the street.
Shot Spotter, the city’s gunfire detection system, alerted West Precinct officers about 9:30 p.m. to shots fired in the 1400 block of First Avenue West.
One of the Shot Spotter calls registered five rounds, the second 12, said Sgt. LaQuitta Wade.
The victim collapsed in the roadway, surrounded by shell casings. He was pronounced dead on the scene.
Wade said the preliminary investigation indicates the victim was involved in a verbal altercation somewhere else.
“At this time,” she said, “it is unclear how the altercation ended up at this location,’’
Wade said it was not immediately known if the victim returned fire.
No arrests have been made.
Shot Spotter, the city’s gunfire detection system, alerted West Precinct officers about 9:30 p.m. to shots fired in the 1400 block of First Avenue West.(Carol Robinson)
Wade said there were witnesses at both locations that were able to police about the altercation.
The deadly shooting marks the city’s 127th homicide so far this year. Of those, eight have been ruled justifiable and two others happened in previous years, but the victims died in 2024.
In all of Jefferson County, there have been 162 homicides in 2024, including the 127 in Birmingham.
It has been a deadly week, and a deadly month in the city.
It was one week ago that a mass shooting in Five Points South left four people dead, and 17 others wounded. There have been five additional homicides since that mass shooting.
“I would say it is heartbreaking for everyone involved, the family, the city, the police officers,’’ Wade said of the ongoing violence. “But we’re going to do everything we can in every homicide case. This is no different than any other.”
Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham police at 205-254-1764 Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
