A man was killed Thursday afternoon while riding a bicycle in west Birmingham in what police say was a targeted attack.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Thursday, West Precinct officers responded to the 400 block of 4th Street Thomas on a call of a person shot, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

Officers arrived on the scene to find an unresponsive man in the front yard of a home suffering from an apparent gunshot wound.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service personnel pronounced the man dead at the scene.

The victim’s identity was not publicly released because his family had yet to be notified of his death, Fitzgerald said.

According to the preliminary investigation, “our victim was just riding down the street on a bicycle and a group of males pulled up on him.,” said Fitzgerald.

The shooter “got out of the vehicle and began firing shots at our victim, striking him,” the officer said.

The gunman then got back into the vehicle, which drove away from the scene.

No one was in custody as of 6 p.m. Thursday.

Fitzgerald implored anyone with information to call police at 205-328-9311 or CrimeStoppers at 205-254-7777.

“The Thomas neighborhood is a tight-knit community. We know word travels fast,” Fitzgerald said.