2019 Birmingham homicides

This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 2019. It includes homicide cases occurring within the city limits during the calendar year. Note that a "homicide" refers to the cause of death as determined by a medical examiner, not to the commission of the crime of murder as charged by police and prosecutors.

9 homicides have been reported in the city as of January 29, putting the city on pace for 113 for the year. Based on the 2017 census estimate of 210,710 population, that represents a homicide rate of 53.6 homicides per 100,000 residents. Birmingham had 109 homicides in 2018. The recent record low of 62 homicides was set in 2014, and the recent record high was 141 in 1992. At this point last year, 6 homicides had been reported.

The city has averaged 9.6 homicides per month, or one every 3.2 days. There were 9 incidents so far in January. One death was reported on a Sunday, 1 on a Monday, 1 on a Tuesday, 1 on a Wednesday, 1 on a Thursday, 3 on Fridays, and 1 on a Saturday.

One of the reported homicides has been ruled justifiable as self-defense by investigators or prosecutors. The police department therefore acknowledges 8 chargeable homicides. Suspects have been identified in 2 of those cases, arrested in 2 and charged in 1.

At least seven deaths resulted from shootings and one from an automobile collision while fleeing a shooting. The cause of one other was not publicized. Four incidents occurred on the streets, two at a nightclub, one at a home, and two in yards or driveways. Three were reported in the West Precinct, five in the East Precinct, none in the South Precinct and 1 in the North Precinct. One shooting occurred during an attempted police pat-down, one during an attempted break-in, two during a sudden dispute, and one is believed to have been the result of random violence. The motive is unknown in the other 4 deaths.

Nine victims were male and none were female.

Listing by date

1. January 1: Earl Lee Evans Jr, 57, was found shot to death in the yard of a vacant house at 2721 Avenue C in Ensley. He lived next door with his mother. No arrest. (report)
2. January 3: Carltez Clark, 28, was driven to the Birmingham Police Department East Precinct in Roebuck where he was pronounced dead after being shot while riding with his girlfriend on Parkway East. The shooting is believed to have been random, matching another car-to-car shooting which took place 10 minutes earlier on Old Springville Road. No arrest. (report)
3. January 5: Charles Reese, 46, died at UAB Hospital from gunshot wounds suffered on the 2500 block of 16th Street in Ensley. Roderick King was arrested two weeks later and charged with murder. (report)
4. January 13: Wytasha Carter, 44, a Birmingham Police Sergeant, was shot to death while attempting to pat down a suspect in a rash of car burglaries. He and another officer, Lucas Allums, confronted two suspects outside the 4 Seasons Bar & Grill on the 900 block of 5th Avenue North. Allums was critically injured by gunshot. One suspect was hit by return fire and another was taken into custody, but later released without charges. Another person is sought. (report)
5. January 18: Brandon Joel Franklin, 44, was found dead behind a home at 7327 2nd Avenue South in East Lake. No arrest. (report)
6. January 23: Sebastian Earl Clark, 57, was found shot to death on the 100 block of Thomas Circle in Thomas. Investigators determined that he had been breaking into the house when he was shot by the owner. No charges were filed. (report)
7. January 25: LaQuintin Deon Wright, 29, was one of two men killed in a shootout at the G M Lounge at 3813 Richard Arrington Jr Boulevard North in East Birmingham. No arrest. (report)
8. January 25: JaGorren Jimmie Kelly, 33, was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital from wounds suffered in the same incident.
9. January 28: Jeremy Lavender, 24, died from injuries suffered when his car struck a support for the I-59 overpass at Oporto-Madrid Boulevard North. His car had been hit by a gunshot and he apparently lost control while fleeing the scene of a shooting. A number of shell casings were recovered from the vicinity of Oporto-Madrid and 4th Avenue South. His death was investigated as a homicide. (report)

See also

• List of homicides in 2019
• Birmingham homicides by year
• Crime in Birmingham