Woman killed in hail of gunfire on Facebook live video after brawl at Birmingham apartment complex

A large fight in the parking lot of an east Birmingham apartment complex ended in a deadly shooting that was captured live in Facebook videos.

The fight broke out at Monarch Ridge apartments on Gallant Drive, formerly known as Valley Brook.

The video showed the victim in a brawl that involved multiple people. It appeared to start by a vehicle in the parking lot and then moved to a breezeway in one of the apartment buildings and continued before a hail of gunfire erupted.

Sgt. LaQuitta Wade said East Precinct officers were dispatched to the complex about 10 p.m. The initial calls were of shots fired, and then officers were updated that someone had been shot.

When they arrived at the location, they found the victim – believed to be the mother of a young daughter – unresponsive in or near the parking lot. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced her dead on the scene.

The victim has posted her own live video from the apartment complex parking lot shortly before the fight and gunfire erupted.

A woman was shot to death Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, following a fight in the parking lot of Monarch Ridge apartments. Her car was stolen but later recovered.(Carol Robinson)

A second victim – a male – was taken to the hospital with life-threatening injuries.

Wade said investigators learned that after the fight moved to the breezeway, it appeared to have been broke up. Moments later, the shots rang out.

In all, she said, 36 shell casings were recovered. The shell casings were in two clusters in adjacent areas in the parking lot.

After the shooting, the suspects fled in the female victim’s vehicle. That, too, was captured on video.

It wasn’t immediately clear if it had still been running when she got out of it, or how they had access to it.

The stolen vehicle was found in abandoned and still running in the parking lot of J Wings on Center Point Parkway.

Birmingham Homicide Aug. 20, 2024

A woman was shot to death Tuesday, Aug. 20, 2024, following a fight in the parking lot of Monarch Ridge apartments. Her car was stolen but later recovered.(Carol Robinson)

No arrests have been made.

Wade addressed the fight and deadly shooting being captured on live video.

“It is somewhat frustrating that nobody was doing anything to alleviate the situation,’’ she said, “however the video surveillance is helpful to us in this investigation.”

“We did get some calls,’’ Wade said, “but it is alarming the amount of people present that did not intervene to keep it from happing. It’s sad and our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the victim.”

The victim is the city’s 102nd homicide this year, and the second to happen on Tuesday. Of the 102 homicides, eight have been ruled justifiable and therefore aren’t deemed criminal.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 129 homicides including the 102 in Birmingham.

Police ask anyone with information or additional videos of the incident to call detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers t 205-254-7777.