Birmingham weekend shooting that kills 1, injures 2 others ruled justified

A weekend shooting at an east Birmingham apartment complex that left one person dead and two others injured has been ruled justified.

Birmingham police said Wednesday that no criminal charges will be filed in Saturday’s slaying of 23-year-old Zetarius Free.

The shooting happened around 10:45 a.m. at the Carson Crest Apartments on Carson Road.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said a conflict between two men led to gunfire that killed Free and injured others, including a woman who was caught in the crossfire.

Free and the other male victim were taken in a private vehicle to St. Vincent’s East, where Free was pronounced dead at 11:24 p.m.

A woman who was at a nearby church was taken by emergency personnel to a hospital with non-life threatening gunshot wounds.

“When the officers began to investigate, they learned that the two men were involved in an argument and one of the men pulled out a gun and the two of them fought each other,” Fitzgerald said. “We think the female just got caught in the crossfire.”

Detectives presented their evidence to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s office, which ruled that no charges would be filed.

Six people have been killed in Birmingham in the past week. Of these, two were considered justified.

There have been 66 homicides in the city this year. Seven of these have now been deemed justified and are therefore not considered criminal.