90 rounds fired in 1 minute in Birmingham shootout; man found dead in Kingston parking lot
A shootout in Birmingham Monday night left one man dead after roughly 90 rounds were fired within a minute.
Around 8 p.m., South Precinct officers began receiving multiple Shot Spotter alerts in and around the 4400 block of Ninth Avenue North in the Kingston community.
Officer Truman Fitzgerald said those rounds were fired in the 800 block of 44th Place, the 900 block of 44th Place North and the 4600 block of Richard Arrington Junior Boulevard North. There were multiple volleys of gunfire in the 800 block of 44th Place North.
“We believe there was a shootout that took place in the middle of the Kingston neighborhood,’’ Fitzgerald said. “All of those shots were fired with minute. We’re talking 10 rounds, 15 rounds, eight rounds, 20 rounds, six rounds, all being fired in succession.”
When officers arrived on the scene, they found an adult male dead in a parking lot, just off the sidewalk. His identity has not yet been released.
Fitzgerald said police initially received a report of three people shot, but ultimately learned there was just one victim.
No arrests have been made.
Dozens of bystanders gathered just outside the crime scene tape. Investigators believe there were multiple people outside when the gunfire erupted.
Fitzgerald said officers and detectives were having a hard time getting potential witnesses to speak with them.
“We understand why people may be hesitant to come forward,’’ he said. “That’s why we’re urging them to call Crime Stoppers anonymously.”
On any given night, there are many residents out and about in Kingston.
“We’ve seen a lot of tragedy take place in Kingston with innocent bystanders struck by gunfire,’’ Fitzgerald said. “It’s only by the grace of God that we didn’t have anyone additionally struck. We’re sad we lost one life, but this could have been much worse.”
He said it was too soon to tell if the victim was involved in the gunbattle.
The victim is the city’s second homicide since Saturday in what has been the second violent weekend in a row in Birmingham. Another man was killed Saturday night on the east side.
Fitzgerald said about 10 people were shot from Friday through Monday, including the two who died.
Last weekend police investigated five shootings that left 2 victims dead and nine injured.
Monday night’s deadly shooting marks the city’s 53rd homicide this year. Of those, one was an officer-involved shooting by an outside law enforcement agency and at least two others have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.
In all of Jefferson County, there have been 68 homicides including the 53 in Birmingham. Countywide from Saturday through Monday there had been five homicides including one at a Gardendale hotel and two separate shootings in Fairfield that left two teen girls dead.
‘Anyone with information in the Monday night homicide, or any of the weekend shootings is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.