A man was killed in a hail of bullets in Birmingham’s West End neighborhood Tuesday morning.
The city’s gunfire detection system – Shot Spotter – alerted Birmingham police to nearly 40 rounds fired shortly after 9:30 a.m. in an area police have been called to more than once in recent days.
Those shots rang out in the 500 block of 12th Street S.W. and nearby Fulton Avenue, said Officer Truman Fitzgerald. When they ended, the unidentified victim was dead on the sidewalk.
Fitzgerald said based on Shot Spotter data and calls to 911, the victim was killed in a shootout. There were shell casings around the victim which leads investigators to believe the victim either fired shots or was preparing to do so when he was gunned down.
A weapon was recovered from the victim.
“There were different shell casings around the victim,’’ Fitzgerald said. “Either he had somebody with him shooting or he was shot in close proximity to where he was found.”
A patrol officer en route to the crime saw a male running from the location. He was detained.
“We’re going to question him and see about his involvement in this case,’’ Fitzgerald said.
A law enforcement helicopter circled above the scene. “We believe our suspects fled on foot,’’ Fitzgerald said.
West Precinct officers have responded to the shooting location in previous days.
“Officers pointed out there have been problems in this area with groups shooting back and forth with one another,’’ Fitzgerald said. “The occupants have been feuding with a different group.”
The victim is the city’s third homicide since Sunday and the eighth in eight days.
A teen was killed in a shootout Sunday, also on the city’s west side, and a man was killed later that night when he was ambushed at an east Birmingham gas station.
“This is to bring no shame to our victims from Sunday, but since Sunday, our detectives have uncovered that the victims in each homicide case have been involved in some type of activity prior to the homicide which contributed heavily to their death,’’ Fitzgerald said.
“And that’s not to victim shame,’’ he said. “We want to get the message out to the public that we have to be really mindful of our behavior because we have seen just the lengths people will go to target you if they have something out for you.”
“If you’re engaging in any type of behavior that would lead someone to target you,’’ he said, “they will not stop until they get you.”
Anyone with information is asked to call homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
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