5 shootings in violent Birmingham weekend leave 2 dead, 9 injured

A violent weekend in Birmingham left 11 people shot in five different incidents throughout the city.

Two of those victims died, and two others are fighting for their lives.

Birmingham police on Monday addressed the violence, noting that three of the shootings took place in the South Precinct’s territory.

Those incidents included Friday night gunfire at an adult birthday party that killed one person and wounded three others, a Sunday morning shooting outside a Lakeview bar that injured four people, and a deadly shooting in the parking garage of a Highland Avenue apartment building.

“Three shooting incidents were responded to and investigated by South Precinct patrol officers from the same shift,” according to a statement released by BPD Monday morning.

“This speaks to what all our officers endure daily and the dedication they have to the City of Birmingham.”

Four of the shootings involved situations in which a victim was targeted, police said.

“We are continuing to see violence used to resolve often simple disputes and conflicts,’’ the department’s statement read.

“The Birmingham Police Department is committed to working together with the community to change this narrative.”

Gunfire erupted Friday, May 19, 2023, in a Birmingham neighborhood. At least four people were shot, and at least one of those victims died. (Carol Robinson)

The weekend bloodshed began Friday night when someone opened fire on the outdoor birthday gathering in the 900 block of 47th Street North, an area known as Baby Kingston.

Police said at least 20 shots were fired.

Roshode Darnell Davidson, 36, and two other men were wounded. A woman was also thought to be shot, but authorities later determined her injuries were not from the gunfire.

All four were taken to UAB Hospital, where Davidson was pronounced dead. The other three victims are expected to be OK.

“From what we were told, the suspect approached on foot, there was no argument, and the suspect began firing at the crowd,’’ Officer Truman Fitzgerald said at Friday’s scene. “It’s very alarming. We need this person off the streets.”

No arrests have been announced.

Lakeview Shooting May 21, 2023

Gunfire erupted in the parking lot outside Tin Roof in Birmingham’s Lakeview District early Sunday, May 21, 2023, sending four people to the hospital. (Carol Robinson)

On Sunday – about 12:45 a.m. – shots were exchanged in the parking lot of Tin Roof in Birmingham’s popular Lakeview District.The bar is located at 2709 Seventh Ave. South.

An off-duty Birmingham police officer was working security at the bar when someone told him there was a shooting in the parking lot.

First responders arrived to find a male shot and a female grazed by a bullet outside Tin Roof. Both were transported to UAB Hospital. The male sustained life-threatening injuries.

An SUV fled the scene after the shooting. That vehicle was stopped by police on 21st Street between Seventh and Eighth Avenues.

Inside the SUV were two males, both seriously injured. They, too, were taken to UAB Hospital, where one of them was deemed to also have life-threatening injuries.

Fitzgerald said the shooting happened after a physical altercation in the parking lot. Detectives are working to determine who started the altercation.

Just hours later, police responded to a call of shots fired in the parking garage of an upscale Southside apartment building.

Birmingham Homicide May 21, 2023

A man was shot to death Sunday, May 21, 2023, at Cortland Vesta apartments on Highland Avenue in Birmingham. (Carol Robinson)

Officers were alerted just before 5:30 a.m. that shots had been fired at Cortland Vesta, a Highland Avenue high rise.

When they arrived at the building, they found 27-year-old Christian Breon Wyatt dead on the ground just inside the parking deck.

Fitzgerald said investigators believe a confrontation took place inside the parking garage between Wyatt and the unknown suspect.

It wasn’t immediately clear if the victim and the suspect or suspects knew each other. No arrests have been announced.

This is the first homicide to happen at Cortland Vesta, which opened in 2020.

“This is just an example how violence does not discriminate which area it comes to,’’ Fitzgerald said Sunday.

“Unfortunately, we have had a violent weekend and we’ve seen violence take place in areas that are not common. It’s an eye-opener.”

Later in the day, just before 3 p.m., North precinct officers were dispatched to the 3000 Block of 31st Avenue North on report of a person shot.

Officers arrived on the scene and found a man in a yard suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service transported him to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Fitzgerald said investigators believe the suspect confronted the victim then fired shots him. The two know each other.

No one is in custody.

Shortly after 8:30 p.m. Sunday, East Precinct officers were dispatched to 9225 Parkway East, also on report of a person shot.

Once at the location, officers spotted an adult male on the ground suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He was taken to UAB Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

Fitzgerald said police believe the wounded man may have been the victim of a robbery.

A woman was taken into custody as a person of interest.

The two weekend homicides brought the city’s tally this year to 49. Of those, one was an officer-involved shooting by an outside law enforcement agency and two others have been ruled justifiable.

At this time last year, there had been 52 homicides in the city.

In all of Jefferson County this year, there have been 61 homicides, including the 49 in Birmingham.

At this time last year, there had been 68 homicides.

Anyone with information on any of the weekend shootings is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.