Two Jackson-Olin High School students were reportedly killed in separate shooting incidents this week.
Wednesday, Birmingham police officers were called to the scene where gunshots could be heard. They found an unresponsive 16-year-old female suffering from an apparent gunshot wound on the sidewalk at the 3000 Block of Avenue F. Another female victim was found and treated for a graze wound.
Investigators believe "the victim was with a group of juveniles in the area possibly trying to fight a separate group of juveniles."
No suspect regarding the Wednesday shooting is in custody at this time.
On Sunday, Birmingham police detected gunfire around Third Avenue Southwest in the Titusville community. They arrived at the scene to find a 17-year-old dead in the parking lot of an apartment complex.
Investigators believe the boy was injured in a shootout between two groups and dumped in the parking lot. When Birmingham Police Department (BPD) officers arrived, he was unresponsive.
Officers detained an adult male suspect during a traffic stop and questioned him at BPD headquarters. After the interview, officers booked him in the Birmingham City Jail.
Following the death of the 16-year-old girl on Wednesday, Birmingham has now had 16 minors shot to death since Jan. 1, 2022, according to ABC 33/40, continuing the wave of violent crime that made 2022 Birmingham's most violent year since the early 1990s.
Last year, Birmingham experienced 144 homicides, several resulting from stray bullets fired in drive-by-shootings. In January, MoneyGeek listed Birmingham as one of the most unsafe cities in the United States.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the homicides were mainly a result of conflict between people who knew each other. Some have suggested that the violence is a result of gang warfare.
In September 2022, Woodfin even called on gangs to "chill out and put the guns down" following a spree of murders over Labor Day weekend.
After the 17-year-old's death on Sunday, BPD issued a statement to the press citing efforts by its Community Outreach and Public Education Division (COPE) and Community Safety Partnership Unit (CSP) to combat violent crime among Birmingham's teens.
The BPD said the COPE School Resource Officers develop relationships with the students at their respective high schools, and CSP officers regularly speak with children that live in public housing. The BPD is also working with the City of Birmingham to create conflict resolution classes for Birmingham City Schools.
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