2006 Birmingham homicides

This is a List of Birmingham homicides in 2006. 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 had 105 homicides in 2005, 64 in 2004, and a record of 141 in 1994. With 72 homicides up to August 18, the city is on pace for 114 in 2006. If that trend were to hold true, the homicide rate for the city of Birmingham, based on the 2005 census estimate of 231,483 population, would be 49.2 homicides per 100,000 population for the year.

Of the 72 recorded homicides, suspects have been reported identified in 31 cases, and apprehended in 29.

Listing by date

1. January 1: Byron Wilson, 33, found at 1532 17th Street South (Southside), no arrest. [1]
2. January 2: Deborah Robertson, 43, stabbed at 1107 47th Place North, no arrest. [2]
3. January 4: George Capers, 43, found in 7400 block of 67th Street South (Gate City), no arrest. [3]
4. January 7: Curtis Sheppard, 43, shot at home, 508 Center Street South (Goldwire) no arrest. [4]
5. January 9: James Barnes, 21, shot at 2729 Jefferson Avenue, no arrest. [5]
6. January 11: Joe S. Farmer, 56, found on 14th Street North on January 2. Danny Turner, 47, in custody. [6]
7. January 17: Tawfig Sharif, 27, found in store at 1200 40th Street Ensley, Moshen Musa, 16, free on bond. [7]
8. January 22: L'Oreal N. Bussey, 27, found shot at 829 28th Street Southwest (Powderly). Michael J. Mays, 19, in custody. [8]
9. January 22: Reginald M. Taylor, 29, shot at 829 28th Street Southwest (Powderly). Michael J. May, 19, in custody. [9]
10. January 22: Allen Dunn, 22, hit by bullet during robbery at 1010 3rd Avenue North (Central City), no arrest. [10]
11. January 23: Antonio King, 21, shot in yard of 500 Princeton Avenue Southwest (West End), grandmother, 71, in custody. [11]
12. February 2: Milton Poole, 16, killed at 19th Street Ensley & Avenue V Ensley, Esau Jackson, 27 and Milton Edwards, 31 in custody. [12]
13. February 2: Pamela Montgomery, 42, killed at 19th Street Ensley & Avenue V Ensley, Esau Jackson, 27 and Milton Edwards, 31 in custody. [13]
14. February 7: Joseph Richardson, 46, killed at 1629 20th Street Alley Ensley, no arrest. [14]
15. February 13: Audrey Price, 23, shot on I-65 at 3rd Avenue South (Southside), no arrest. [15]
16. February 18: Demetrius Hamilton, 41, stabbed in 1200 block of 10th Avenue North (Fountain Heights), no arrest. [16]
17. Februrary 22: Anthony Sanderson, 39, shot January 19 at 900 4th Avenue North (Graymont), no arrest. [17]
18. March 4: Steven Hines, 24, shot at 801 3rd Avenue West (Smithfield), no arrest. [18]
19. March 10: Wendy Reno, 33 found at 8420 1st Avenue North (East Lake), no arrest. [19]
20. March 10: John Oliver, 53, found on sidewalk 1200 block of 14th Avenue South (Southside). Earlie Robinson, 40 in custody. [20]
21. March 11: Franco Johnson, 18, shot on 300 block of 20th Street South (Southside). Jarvis Craig, 20, in custody. [21]
22. March 11: Dominic Ware, 18 mos, found at 4800 block of Avenue O (Ensley). Jorge L. Carter in custody. [22]
23. March 22: James Starks, 55, shot in car at 10th Street West & 6th Avenue North (Graymont), Cornelius Callins Jr., 21, in custody. [23]
24. March 28: Taurus Frost, 22, foundshot in car at 1304 34th Street Ensley (Ensley), Randy Lamont Lewis, 19, in custody. [24]
25. March 31: Timothy Woods, 45, stabbed on 3000 block of 29th Avenue North (North Birmingham), Angela Woods, 40, in custody. [25]
26. April 3: Dakota Jackson (3 mos) killed at 718 Attalla Place (Wylam), mother Tiffany Jackson, 24, in custody. [26]
27. April 7: Leviticus Campbell, 17, found on 6800 block of Higdon Road (Woodlawn/East Lake). no arrest.[27]
28. April 11: Man found dead of gunshot wound on 1100 block of 2nd Court West (Rising West-Princeton), no arrest. [28]
29. April 13: Man found shot behind house on Tarpon Drive (Roebuck)
30. April 15: Anthony White, 21, shot at 4141 Pinson Valley Parkway (NW Bham). Unidentified 20-year-old suspect in custody. [29]
31. April 18: Marcus Cole, 23, found dead at 1328 Princeton Avenue (West End). [30]
32. April 22: Marquell Savage, 20, found dead in the 800 block of Cherry Avenue (Pratt City). [31]
33. May 5: James McClellan, 55, shot outside his house in 5125 Lincoln Avenue (Brownlee Heights). [32]
34. May 9: Tony Stephens, 29, found shot at Oakmont Street and Pittsburgh Avenue (Sherman Heights), no arrest. [33]
35. May 11: Michael Smith, 40, found near alley in 1000 block of 4th Court West, no arrest.[34]
36. May 13: Reginald Hall, 18, shot in parking lot at 316 Iota Avenue. [35]
37. May 14: Marlin Perryman, 53, stabbed in yard of his house in the 600 block of 27th Street Southwest. [36]
38. May 23: Unknown male found in burned car at 700 block of Eastern Manor Circle (East Pinson Valley). [37]
39. May 22: Stephanie Carson, 38, shot at home at 241 Fox Glenn Road (Apple Valley). Derrick Carson, 40 in custody.
40. May 22: Tymisha Green, 31, found shot at 2128 Carlos Avenue. Suspect Ivan Ashley Garner, 29, remains at large. [38]
41. May 27: Marion Johnson, 18, shot at 3000 block of 29th Court North. [39]
42. May 28: John Fitzgerald Lee, 41, found shot inside residence at 6805 68th Street South. Suspect identified, no charges filed. [40]
43. June 9: Walter Hill, 91, shot at home, 1308 4th Place North in Enon Ridge, which was then set on fire. Two men seen fleeing in Hill's pickup truck which was recovered on the Center Street Bridge. An 18 year old suspect was arrested, but later released. [41]
44. June 9: James Martin, 27, killed in shootout at Forest Hills Village apartments at 2600 block of Tempest Drive in Powderly. Two suspects in custody. [42]
45. June 11: Casey Jones, 24, stabbed at Chubby's Lounge, 2512 16th Street North. [43]
46. June 13: Steven Robinson, 42, stabbed at 3rd Avenue South and 78th Street South (South East Lake). Suspect Terry Lykes, 39, remains at large. [44]
47. June 14: Jerry Foreman, 44, found in Alabama Motel at 746 Forestdale Boulevard. No arrest. [45]
48. June 14: Fredrick James Bennett, 20, found dead on 500 block of 9th Avenue West, College Hills. [46]
49. June 16: Lloyd Barker, 52, murdered on 500 block of 23rd Street Ensley and house set on fire. Alvin Rogers, 44, in custody and also charged with kidnaping and attempted murder of a 43 year-old woman. [47]
50. June 18: Otis Towns, 18, shot in residence on 300 block of Cross Creek Court. Suspect Ernest Reeves, 22 in custody. [48]
51. June 21: Teresa Peoples, 54, shot in home at 3414 39th Street North by assailant. No arrest. [49]
52. June 25: Alejandro Guzman, 31, shot in truck at his apartments, the Fox Valley Apartments at 601 Valley Avenue. No arrest. [50]
53. June 25: Unnamed man, stabbed in altercation at Alabama Highway 269 and Parson Loop Road. 18 year-old male suspect in custody. [51]
54. June 27: Daniel Woods, 22, shot multiple times at Center Park Plaza Apartments in 10 block of Center Street North. No arrest. [52]
55. June 29: Excell Turner, 65 kiled at his home at 4927 7th Avenue Wylam. No arrest. [53]
56. July 9: Robert McCurry, 27, stabbed in abdomen during domestic argument at Carson Crest Apartments, 1401 Carson Road. 43 year old male suspect in custody. [54]
57. July 11: Jasmine Parker, 17, found strangled in apartment at 2716 34th Avenue North. No arrest. [55]
58. July 15: Mikale Woods, 21, killed in gunfight at 1600 Block of Avenue T (Ensley). 3rd victim/assailant hospitalized.
59. July 15: Christopher Richburg, 29, killed in gunfight at 1600 Block of Avenue T (Ensley). 3rd victim/assailant hospitalized.
60. July 15: Jamell Gamble, 16, shot at 17th Avenue North and 33rd Street (Norwood). Eugene Stafford, 31 and Alvanus Walker, 36 arrested and charged. [56]
61. July 16: Aqua Morgan, 30, shot at 5104 9th Avenue North. Huey Persons, 28, in custody. [57]
62. July 19: Jamal O. Brown, 31, shot at wheel of truck at Avenue J Ensley and Vinesville Road (Vinesville). [58]
63. July 27: Emanuel Townes, 46, found dead in vacant house at 1426 32nd Street North. No arrest. [59]
64. July 28: Dorothy Freeman, 75, found dead in house at 1607 Avenue F Ensley. No arrest. [60]
65. July 31: Joseph Bussey, 53, shot in home in 500 block of 64th Place South. No arrest. [61]
66. August 1: Unnamed woman found shot at 1000 block of 4th Avenue West. No arrest. [62]
67. August 3: Terrence West, 32, shot in car at 2200 Slayden Avenue in the West Precinct. No arrest. [63]
68. August 7: Ryant Dewayne Smith, 19, found dead of gunshot wound in double homicide on Globe Street and Lillian Street in Roosevelt City. No arrests. [64]
69. August 7: George Powell Jr, 23, found dead of gunshot wound in double homicide on Globe Street and Lillian Street in Roosevelt City. No arrests. [65]
70. August 10: Tyderrius Leshore, 26, found shot to death in SUV behind house on 400 block of 9th Street West. No arrest. [66]
71. August 14: Cordarrius Collins, 16, shot at home 7300 block of 4th Avenue South, Teryl Waller, 35, charged. [67]
72. August 16: Eddie George, 51, shot in apartment at 2101 19th Courth North, Druid Hills. Shantelle Hardy, 23, charged with capital murder. [68]

Responses

In the Mayor's January 9, 2006 State of the City address to the Kiwanis Club of Birmingham, Bernard Kincaid stated that "Regardless of the events and circumstances which underlie it, our current homicide rate in Birmingham is unacceptable to this mayor. [...] I pledge to you and to all of our citizens that we will attack this problem from every responsible angle to reduce the number of homicides that occur in our city." (Bryant - January 10)

On January 14, 2006, largely as a response to the high number of homicides in 2005, and continuing through New Years', the City of Birmingham unveiled a "Ceasefire Initiative", planned to promote members of the community to get involved in reducing violent crime. Anti-Crime summits were planned in each Council District and materials featuring the Ceasefire logo are being distributed to promote awareness.

Jefferson County sheriff Mike Hale created a Violent Crimes Task Force made up of 51 federal, state and local law-enforcement officers from 21 separate agencies, which engaged in a two-month intensive effort, called Operation Unity to fight the increase in homicides by cracking down on violent offenders. In 60 days the Task Force cleared 1,009 warrants, arrested 512 people, and seized 84 cars, 41 guns and $600,000 in illegal drugs. A similar effort under Mel Bailey in the 1980s was credited with a sharp reduction in homicides in Bessemer that year.

On June 27 Mayor Bernard Kincaid took part in a "funeral procession against crime" organized by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. According to Kincaid, the aim of the march was "to raise community awareness and to bring together voices for change in Birmingham's most dangerous neighborhoods." The procession, which included 7 hearses loaned by area funeral parlors, began at St Joseph the Worker Church on 9th Avenue North and passed through several troubled areas before visiting an anti-crime rally which was part of the West End Family Reunion at the Park Manor Apartments on Tuscaloosa Avenue. The rally was attended by Birmingham police chief Annetta Nunn. The city's 54th homicide occurred within earshot of the rally around 5:30 P.M.

On July 20, in response to the July 15 shootout in Ensley that claimed Woods and Richburg, councilor Steven Hoyt met with ministers and community leaders at the Five Points West Library to discuss solutions to crime problems. Later that evening he participated in a candlelight vigil with members of the victim's families "to raise awareness of the violence gripping the city." (Norris - July 21)

Tom Burtnett, a former police officer created a t-shirt depicting Vulcan holding an AK-47 with the caption "I fire one shot for each murder, ....and I'm running out of ammo." His intent, he says, is to "raise public awareness and get the attention of city leaders, who aren't giving police officers what they need to do their job." (Robinson - July 21)

On July 20, Jefferson County Commission president Larry Langford proposed a county-sponsored literacy center "to stem the number of murders in the Birmingham area." (Wright - July 21)

References

• 2006 Press Releases from Birmingham Police Department
• Bryant, Joseph D. (January 10, 2006) "Birmingham's Kincaid lifts Taser ban." Birmingham News.
• Norris, Toraine and Jordan H. Weissmann. (June 28, 2006) "Man killed blocks from site of anti-crime rally." Birmingham News.
• Norris, Toraine (July 21, 2006) "Vigil held in Ensley after double slaying". Birmingham News.
• Robinson, Carol (July 21, 2006) "Ex-lawman pushes anti-crime T-shirts tailored for city." Birmingham News.
• Wright, Barnett (July 21, 2006) "Langford urges literacy effort to curtail crime." Birmingham News.