Birmingham ties cityâs 1933 all-time high homicide record with latest shooting death
- Updated: Dec. 14, 2024, 4:35 p.m.
Birmingham police investigate a homicide on Dec. 14, 2024.Carol Robinson
An argument between two men at a Birmingham walking trail at a busy intersection on the cityâs west side left one man dead and another on the run.
Fitzgerald said the victim was hanging out in the park, not exercising. Itâs not clear if the two men knew each other.
Taylor is the 148th person to die in a homicide in Birmingham in 2024.
With 17 days left in 2024, the city has now tied its all-time high record, set in 1933, for homicides in a single year.
âLike we said on homicide No. 1, that was already one too many,â' Fitzgerald said.
âWhat hurts the most is around the holiday season is when our families feel the effects the most,â' he said. âRight now, our No. 1 goal is solving these homicides, getting these people off the streets because as weâve said before, many of these suspects go on to commit other homicides.â
The cityâs population today is a little under 197,000 people, giving the city a murder rate of 7.5 homicides per 10,000 people.
In 1933, Birmingham had just under 269,000 people, giving the city a murder rate of 5.7 homicides for every 10,000 people.
The city ended 2023 with 135 homicides, a 6.25% drop over 2022 which had 144 homicides.
Birminghamâs 2022 homicide total was the deadliest year in recent city history -- 141 in 1991.
Birmingham ended 2021 with 132 homicides; 2020 with 122 homicides; 2019 with 106 homicides; and 2018 with 107 homicides.
Of the 148 homicides in 2024, 11 have been ruled justifiable and therefore arenât deemed criminal. One of the homicides was an officer-involved shooting, and two others were shootings that happened in previous years, but the victims died in 2024.
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