1 killed in barrage of gunfire in west Birmingham neighborhood

An afternoon argument in a west Birmingham neighborhood left one man dead.

Multiple shots rang out about 4:20 p.m. in the 5700 block of Court I in Ensley. That is off Vinesville Road, near Fairfield and Miles College.

Shot Spotter alert authorities to shots fired and then police received a call reporting a person was unresponsive near the road, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

The victim was found unresponsive in the front yard of a home in the 900 block of 58th Street. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead on the scene.

His identity has not yet been released. Several grieving family members, however, rushed to the crime.

Fitzgerald said some sort of argument took place between the victim and one or more suspects. The nature of the argument was not immediately known.

Birmingham police investigate a deadly shooting in the 5700 block of Court I in Ensley.(Carol Robinson)

As detectives and officers were investigating, 911 dispatchers said of the police radio that a person of interest in the shooting wanted to surrender.

A relative of that person was talking with police at the scene, helping to coordinate that surrender.

“We have not made contact with that person yet,’’ Fitzgerald said about 5:45 p.m. “However, we are thankful that person has come forward and is at least willing to himself in.”

Fitzgerald said as many as 10 shots were fired. It wasn’t immediately clear if the there was an exchange of gunfire.

“The shots were fired in a residential neighborhood and we’re thankful no one else got struck by gunfire,’’ he said.

Witnesses told police there could more than shooter.

The victim is Birmingham’s 42nd homicide this year. Of those, four have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.

Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.