BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — One man was killed and another seriously wounded in a hail of gunfire that erupted in a west Birmingham alley Monday night, police said, as the city’s homicide rate continues to plummet from last year’s record high.
Birmingham officers and fire crews rushed to the 1500 block of Warrior Road shortly before 9 p.m., where they found two men suffering from gunshot wounds, according to local reports. Birmingham Fire and Rescue transported both victims to UAB Hospital, though authorities did not immediately disclose their conditions or identities.
The incident marks at least the 12th homicide in Birmingham this year, a figure that remains dramatically lower than recent years despite the latest violence. The city ended 2025 with 88 killings — its fewest in a decade and a steep drop from 152 in 2024, the highest annual total on record and a mark unseen since 1933.
Police Chief Michael Pickett highlighted the progress earlier this month, noting homicides were down 48% from this time in 2025 and 72% compared with 2024. The decline follows years of escalating violence: 104 killings in 2016, 111 in 2017, 107 in 2018, 106 in 2019, 122 in 2020, 132 in 2021, 144 in 2022, 135 in 2023 and the 2024 peak.
No arrests have been announced in the Warrior Road shooting, which investigators described as a shootout involving more than 30 rounds fired. The episode underscores persistent challenges in west side neighborhoods like Ensley, even as overall trends show improvement.
Birmingham officials have credited community partnerships, focused policing and violence interruption programs for the downturn, though data reveals uneven progress across precincts. The investigation continues.