1979 Birmingham homicides
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This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 1979. It includes homicide cases occuring within the city limits during the calendar year. Note that not all homicides are ultimately ruled to be murder in courts of law.
Birmingham reported 93 homicide cases to the FBI in 1979, of which 84 (90.3%) were reported as "cleared".
Listing
- June 22: Bonita Carter, 20, was shot by police officer George Sands during a gun battle that followed a convenience store robbery in Kingston. Carter had not been involved in the robbery, but her shooting was ruled justified, provoking mass demonstrations and opening the door for police reform and the election of the city's first black mayor that Fall.
- July 28: James Eddie Powell died from a stab wound in the abdomen suffered during a fight at the Little Bombers Lounge in Five Points South. Jackie Dale Atchley was convicted of first degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
- Fletcher Handley, a disabled man, was killed by Willie Clisby. Clisby, who was believed to have been mentally deficient, was later executed for the murder.
- Albert Ballard, a Birmingham Police Sergeant, was shot by Josephus Anderson during questioning about a bank robbery.
See also
References
- Robinson, Carol (August 9, 2005) "Birmingham murder rate up 60% so far in '05". The Birmingham News
- Bryant, Joseph D. (January 10, 2006) "Birmingham's Kincaid lifts Taser ban." The Birmingham News
- Robinson, Carol (September 19, 2006) "City's violent crimes up 5.8%." The Birmingham News
- FBI Uniform Crime Statistics, accessed via the Murder Accountability Project (murderdata.org)