One man is dead after a shooting Wednesday night in Ensley, according to the Birmingham Police Department. Police believe the shooting is connected to a string of robberies targeting the Hispanic community dating back to Oct. 2022.
The victim has been identified as 48-year-old Roman Gonzalez of Bessemer.
Police were dispatched to the 1400 block of 27th Street Ensley just after 7 p.m. on report of a person shot. When officers arrived, they found Gonzalez lying unresponsive on a set of stairs suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. He died at the scene.
According to Press Information Officer Truman Fitzgerald, police believe a group of men entered a residence where a group of workers were completing some renovations on a house. Police said the men forcefully entered the house through a door with the intent to rob people inside when Gonzalez was shot.
Fitzgerald said police believe this shooting is connected to a string of robberies where suspects were "preying upon" Hispanic victims. Two arrests have already been made in connection to those robberies but Fitzgerald said they always suspected it was a bigger group.
"This is a night we've all feared," Fitzgerald said. "Everyone had it in the back of their mind that if this kept going on, tonight was definitely a possibility. We just prayed that it'd never happen but unfortunately it did."
Police believe this is connected because of a similar motive and similar manner to the other crimes. There are currently no suspects in custody for this shooting.