Gunfire was heard in a southwest Birmingham neighborhood Saturday night, killing two people, including a 16-year-old girl passing by.
Birmingham police said the shots rang out around 9:15 p.m. at 16th Way SW and Matt Leonard Drive. Sergeant. Rod Mauldin said West Precinct officers initially responded to a call from a person who was shot at that location.
When they arrived at the scene, they found an unconscious man on the road near a motorcycle. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
Mauldin said another vehicle was found to have stopped in a grassy area. “We think it was probably the suspect vehicle,” he said.
That vehicle had been abandoned and police are currently using tracking dogs to search for the suspect or suspects.
Moments later, police received word that a 16-year-old shooting victim had turned up at a nearby fire station. The Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service took her from there to UAB Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival.
The teenage victim had reportedly just gotten off work at the Birmingham Zoo. Her mom had picked her up after work and they were driving home when gunshots entered their vehicle from the same incident that killed the motorcyclist.
Mauldin said he believes they are looking for at least two or three suspects. He said weapons have been recovered from the scene.
There have been seven homicides in Birmingham so far this year. Across Jefferson County, there have been eight confirmed homicides, including the seven in Birmingham.
Anyone with information should call Birmingham Homicide Detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.