Shots fired on Interstate 59 in Birmingham leave one dead and one injured

One person was killed in a shooting on southbound Interstate 59 in Birmingham.

Birmingham police were dispatched to I-59 near the First Avenue North exit ramp shortly after 10 p.m. Saturday.

When officers arrived, they found a vehicle – a light pink Dodge Challenger – on an embankment next to the highway. Initial reports indicated one person was dead and a second person was injured.

The man who was killed was pronounced dead at the scene. The second male victim suffered non-life-threatening injuries.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said one vehicle opened fire on another.

Investigators believe it was a targeted shot.

The victims’ vehicle came to a stop between the highway and the 8500 block of First Avenue South.

Investigators closed southbound lanes from Roebuck Parkway to Fourth Avenue South to search for shell casings. They reopened one lane to southbound traffic just before 11:30 p.m., but then had to stop again so two trucks could pull the car up the embankment.

Police also set up a large crime scene along First Avenue South.

The victim is Birmingham’s 75th murder this year. Seven of these murders were judged to be justified and therefore not considered criminal.

There were 98 homicides across Jefferson County, including 75 in Birmingham. Anyone with information is asked to call the Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.