BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A 15-year-old boy is charged with capital murder in Birmingham’s first homicide of 2026 after a 33-year-old father was found shot to death in a car in the East Lake community, a killing that comes even as the city celebrates its steepest drop in homicides in a decade.
Police said officers were called shortly before 5 p.m. Saturday to the 8000 block of First Avenue South, where they found Morgan Brown unresponsive inside a vehicle. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced Brown dead at the scene from a gunshot wound, and detectives later said they believe he was robbed before he was killed.
Investigators said multiple suspects fled after the shooting but were tracked down in less than 24 hours as homicide detectives and patrol officers worked through the night following leads. By Sunday, police announced that a 15-year-old male suspect had been charged with capital murder during a robbery and with being a person forbidden to possess a firearm, while two additional suspects were being held on a 48-hour felony extension pending formal charges.
The deadly robbery marks the first confirmed homicide of the new year in a city that only days ago reported finishing 2025 with fewer than 100 killings for the first time in 10 years, ending what officials called a historic decline in violence after a record-setting 2024. Birmingham police data show the city recorded about 44 percent fewer homicides in 2025 than in 2024, outpacing a national drop in murders and reversing a trend that had left Birmingham with one of the highest big-city murder rates in the country.
City leaders and police brass have credited an aggressive focus on repeat shooters, specialized enforcement teams and tougher oversight of nightclubs and bars for driving down homicides, even as overall crime remains a persistent concern. Analysts say that, despite the recent progress, Birmingham’s homicide rate still remains elevated compared to national averages, and each new killing — especially one involving a teenage suspect and a father gunned down in a neighborhood corridor — underscores how fragile the city’s gains can be.
Police asked anyone with information about Brown’s killing or the suspects’ movements before or after the robbery to call the Birmingham Police Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or submit anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Detectives said they expect to present additional evidence to prosecutors as they work to keep the first homicide of 2026 from becoming an early sign of backsliding in a city still fighting to redefine its reputation for violence.