Three homicides occurred within 12 hours of each other on Saturday in West Birmingham, each inside the same five-mile radius.
According to the Birmingham Police Department (BPD), the first homicide occurred at 2:55 a.m. Police responded to reports of nine gunshots and discovered an adult male suffering from a gunshot wound lying in the road on 19th Street Ensley. Investigators identified the victim as Demetrious Restee Williams, a 36-year-old from Fairfield.
Police responded to another notification at 1:33 p.m. and discovered a deceased male in the driver’s seat of a vehicle on 18th Street Ensley. The 24-year-old victim, identified as Zion Kewayne Taylor, also suffered from a gunshot wound.
Investigators suggested Taylor and an unknown individual were involved in a verbal altercation.
At 4:01 p.m., officers responded to yet another shooting call. They found a wounded male lying near a vehicle at the intersection of 26th Street Ensley and Avenue C. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel transported the victim to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced deceased nearly an hour later.
BPD identified the victim on Sunday afternoon as 22-year-old Lakevin Ralpheal Debruce of Adamsville.
The three homicides come less than a week after a spokesperson with the BPD told 1819 News that Birmingham homicides were on a downward trend compared to last year.
With 144 homicides, last year was Birmingham’s most violent year since the 1990s. Some of those killed were children, and several resulted from stray bullets fired in drive-by shootings.
Saturday’s homicides bring this year’s total to 113, which is still less than the 120 homicides the city experienced from January to November 2022.
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email will.blakely@1819news.com or find him on Twitter and Facebook.
Don’t miss out! Subscribe to our newsletter and get our top stories every weekday morning.
