Teenage girl dead, brother injured in Birmingham attack

Austin Franklin and Maddie McQueen

10 hours ago

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A homicide investigation is underway after two children were shot at a Birmingham apartment complex Wednesday afternoon.

The Birmingham Police Department confirmed the shooting happened just after noon at the Park Place Apartments on 25th Street North.

North Precinct officers entered a facility and found a 15-year-old girl and her five-year-old brother shot. The teenager was pronounced dead at the scene, while the boy was taken to Children’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.

According to Officer Truman Fitzgerald, the preliminary investigation revealed that the victims were shot during a domestic disturbance between their mother and her ex-boyfriend.

The ex-boyfriend was taken into police custody in the 6000 block of 1st Avenue North. He will be interviewed at BPD headquarters as a suspect in the case.

BPD Chief Scott Thurmond confirmed that officers have been called to the apartment several times in the past for domestic issues — including earlier this morning.

“It’s just a very heinous situation. We have kids out of school trying to enjoy the summer. We have someone who is so angry that they feel they have to take violence into their own hands and shoot up an apartment,” Thurmond said. “Now two innocent lives (have been changed) and it’s absolutely ridiculous that we continue to see these things in our city over and over again.”

Those with additional information about the case are urged to call BPD at 205-254-1764 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.