4 Things To Know About Birmingham’s Homicides So Far This Year
The city of Birmingham has recorded at least 64 homicides so far in 2021, according to data from the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office.
Last year, Birmingham hit a record for the highest number of homicides in 25 years. The city’s police chief, Patrick Smith, told WBHM that even with that record high, the city fared well in comparison to other areas across the country.
“It could have been a whole lot worse,” Smith said. “Certainly, we don’t want to see the loss of life anywhere at all. And I wish that we could do more. But we’re trying to work within the confines of what we have as a department.”
Now, local activists and residents are speaking up, especially after shootings at local parks or in cases where children have been shot. They want the city of Birmingham to invest some of the money it received from the federal American Rescue Plan into gun violence resources.
WBHM wanted to learn more about who has been killed in this gun violence. We took a deeper dive into the data from the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office. This is what we learned about the city’s homicides so far in 2021:
- The vast majority of people killed by homicide in Birmingham are Black.
- A firearm was used in roughly 94% of homicide deaths.
- Men make up the majority of homicide victims.
- More than half of the people killed in the city’s homicides are between the ages of 19 and 39.
You can scroll in and click on each location to read more about the person who was killed. A red ‘X’ indicates a homicide. A blue ‘X’ indicates an officer-involved shooting where a civilian was killed. Those cases are investigated as homicides by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story stated that 63 homicides had occurred in the city of Birmingham as of July 7, 2021. It has been corrected to 64. Additionally, the graphics have been updated to reflect this change.
This abortion method doesn’t involve doctors — and many of them consider it safe
A growing body of research demonstrating the safety and effectiveness of self-managed abortion with pills, coupled with the global pandemic in 2020 and the fall of Roe in 2022, has many U.S. doctors changing their views.
The Pentagon is set to hold a briefing after U.S. strikes Iran
Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will speak to reporters the morning after President Trump announced the U.S. had attacked three nuclear facilities in Iran, aiding Israel in its conflict with the country.
U.S. completes strikes on Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
The U.S. has completed attacks on three nuclear sites in Iran, President Trump wrote on Truth Social on Saturday.
At least three people dead from a tornado in North Dakota
At least three residents were killed in the Enderlin area by a tornado on Friday night after storms hit North Dakota and Minnesota.
One daughter’s search for a father detained by ICE
Francisco Urizar, 64, was detained by ICE while on his work route delivering tortillas. His daughter Nancy is trying to find out what happened to him.
Star bassist Carol Kaye rejects Rock & Roll Hall of Fame honor
One of the most in-demand session players of the 1960s, Kaye was listed alongside the late record producer Thom Bell and the late pianist Nicky Hopkins as inductees in the Musical Excellence category.
