Birmingham murder investigations up 33% compared to this time last year

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) – With even more homicides happening in Birmingham this week, we’re digging into how this year’s gun violence compares to last.

It’s a heartbreaking statistic and a sad reality of where the city stands right now.

Including the two separate homicides on Tuesday night, we are now up to 116 murder investigations this year in the city of Birmingham.

On this day one year ago, BPD was investigating 87 murders. That’s a 33% spike in just a year.

A stark difference between 2024 and 2023: there wasn’t one quadruple shooting in the city last year while this year alone, we’ve experienced three of them.

The first of the year happened Friday, February 16th on Center Street North. Cortez Ray, Talton Tate, Terrell Edwards, and Kevin McGhee lost their lives. This incident happened near an open lot in the Smithfield community.

The second quadruple shooting this year happened Saturday, July 13th on 27th Street North. Someone shot and killed Lerandus Anderson, Stevie McGhee, Markeisha Gettings, and Angela Weatherspoon at a nightclub. Ten other people were hurt.

The most recent one is Saturday’s mass shooting on Magnolia Avenue South which killed Anitra Holloman, Tahj Booker, Carlos McCain, and Roderick Patterson Jr. 17 other people were injured in this case.

Mayor Randall Woodfin said Tuesday this shouldn’t be our new normal.

City Councilor Crystal Smitherman, who represents Five Points South, said people are now scared to live their daily lives.

“My frustration’s that grandma’s don’t feel comfortable sitting on the porch anymore, that people don’t feel comfortable going out to dinner anymore, that I’m getting calls from people in different cities from across the country asking me, ‘Are you OK?’” she added. “I’m sick of it because people feel so comfortable to commit crime. That is so disrespectful to everybody that lives here.”

The big conversation now surrounds what we can do to put an end to all the violence. Whether it’s more policing, mental health resources, or a cultural shift, all eyes are on Birmingham as we work to make a change.

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