57-Year-Old Man Is Birmingham's First Homicide Victim Of 2019

BIRMINGHAM, AL - After a 2018 that saw more than 100 homicides, the new year was barely 6 hours old before Birmingham saw its first 2019 homicide. A shooting in Ensley Jan. 1 resulted in the death of 57-year-old Earl Lee Evans Jr.

A report by Alabama Media Group said West Precinct officers were dispatched at 7:19 a.m. Tuesday to a report of a person down at 2621 Avenue C in Ensley. Once on the scene, officers found Evans lying on his back in the front yard of an abandoned house next door to the house he shared with his mother.

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Shots were heard all over the city Monday night and early Tuesday because of celebratory gunfire so police say it wasn’t immediately clear if anyone heard the shots that killed Evans. No suspects are in custody and the case is still under investigation.

Birmingham finished 2018 with 107 homicides, eight of which were ruled justifiable. In all of Jefferson County, there were 158 homicides last year.

Photo by Renee Schiavone/Patch