Argument in apartment parking lot ends with Birmingham’s 3rd homicide in 12 hours

Argument in apartment parking lot ends with Birmingham’s 3rd homicide in 12 hours

An argument in the parking lot of a Birmingham apartment complex turned deadly, leading to the city’s third homicide in roughly 12 hours Thursday.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., West Precinct officers were dispatched to the 5800 block of Monte Sano Road at the Vines at Hillside West.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said 911 first received calls of an argument. Next, Shot Spotter indicated shots fired, and finally someone called reporting a person shot.

When officers arrived, they found a male victim inside a vehicle suffering from a gunshot wound. He was taken by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service to a hospital where he was pronounced dead.

Fitzgerald said officers and detectives are trying to determine the nature of the argument.

Shot Spotter registered at least 10 rounds fired, but he said it’s unclear whether there was an exchange of gunfire or if just one person fired.

It was not immediately clear if the victim was in the car when he was shot or if he got into the car afterward.

Shortly before 9:30 p.m., Thursday, July 13, 2023, Birmingham’s West Precinct officers were dispatched to the 5800 block of Monte Sano Road at the Vines at Hillside West. (Carol Robinson)

“We’re going to depend on Shot Spotter and witnesses in the complex to help us out with this one,’’ Fitzgerald said.

No one was in custody as of 11 p.m.

Fitzgerald said it’s been a rough 36 or so hours, with two men shot to death earlier Thursday and two Birmingham firefighters shot and seriously injured on Wednesday.

“We have a lot going. However, we’re not going to give up,’’ Fitzgerald said. “We’re going to keep going on. We’re proud of our homicide and felony assault units which are making arrests weekly.”

Thursday night’s homicide is Birmingham’s 74th homicide of the year. Of those, one was an officer-involved shooting by an outside law enforcement agency and six others have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 106 homicides, including the 74 in Birmingham.

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