Beyond the Violence: BPD Investigating 5 homicides in 3 days

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — “None of the recent homicides appear to be related,” Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond stated Tuesday, March 21st. That was when there were four homicides in approximately 36 hours. Today there are five in the last 72 hours.

The victims are all male ranging in age from 29 to 48 and have been identified by the Jefferson County Coroner and BPD as:

29 year old James Lee Washington

30 year old Devarte Dedre Thomas

42 year old Kenneth Earl Harris Jr.

44 year old Frederick Sykes

48 year old Michael Kimbrough

Birmingham Police Public Information Officer Truman Fitzgerald encourages anyone who knows anything about these gun homicides to pick up the phone “if anyone in the community has any information that will assist our detectives, remain anonymous and utilize Crime Stoppers and receive a cash reward by dialing 205-254-7777.”

BPD Chief Scott Thurmond said in a statement, “this is very disturbing, not only for our officers and detectives, but also for our city and our community members.” His statement also addressed the effect on families who “have been devastated by the unexpected loss of their loved one in senseless acts of violence. This is unacceptable and Birmingham deserves better.”

The Birmingham Times explores “Coping with Grief” in an installment of the CBS 42/The Birmingham Times/AL.com joint series “Beyond the Violence: What can be done to address Birmingham’s rising homicide rate.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to CBS 42.