Crime
Two Killed in Separate Overnight Shootings in Birmingham, Occurring Minutes Apart
Birmingham police are investigating two separate fatal shootings that occurred within minutes of each other on opposite sides of the city overnight, leaving two young men dead.
The first incident took place around midnight in the 1400 block of 57th Street in Ensley. Officers responded to reports of gunfire and arrived to find 22-year-old Xavier Colvert unresponsive inside his white pickup truck.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service personnel pronounced Colvert dead at the scene. Authorities marked at least six shell casings near the passenger side of the truck, indicating multiple shots had been fired.
Just 21 minutes later, at approximately 12:21 a.m., officers were dispatched to the 600 block of Eighth Terrace West following another report of gunfire.
Upon arrival, they discovered a vehicle riddled with bullet holes, having crashed into shrubbery and the front porch of a nearby home.
Police reported that more than two dozen shots were fired during this incident.
The driver of the vehicle, identified as 18-year-old Ronald Bennett Jr., was found lying on the ground outside the car and was pronounced dead at the scene.
Authorities believe Bennett was a student at Huffman High School.
A passenger in the vehicle reportedly attempted to regain control after Bennett was shot, but the car veered off the road and crashed.
Multiple friends and family members gathered at the scene as investigators worked and a tow truck removed the vehicle from the property.
“Our heartfelt condolences go out to the Huffman High School community,” said Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald.
These two deaths mark Birmingham’s ninth and tenth homicides of 2025. The city has already experienced eight homicides in January—two more than in the same month last year.
In total, Jefferson County has recorded 15 homicides so far this year, including the ten within Birmingham city limits.
Anyone with information related to these cases is urged to contact Birmingham Police detectives at 205-254-1764 or provide anonymous tips through Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Authorities have identified the man shot and killed Friday afternoon in a parking lot outside a Little Caesars restaurant in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood.
The victim has been named as Stevens Jeffrey, 29, according to police and the Cook County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The shooting occurred in the 2600 block of West Cermak Road near Rockwell Street at approximately 1:10 p.m., according to the Chicago Police Department (CPD).
Preliminary reports indicate that Jeffrey was sitting in his vehicle when he was approached by an unknown vehicle.
An armed individual exited that vehicle and opened fire, striking Jeffrey multiple times in the face and body.
Emergency responders arrived on the scene, where Jeffrey was pronounced dead. He was discovered inside his vehicle with his two young children, ages 4 and 6, who were unharmed.
Both children were transported to Stroger Hospital for precautionary evaluation.
The shooting took place in the parking lot of a Little Caesars restaurant, where investigators recovered multiple shell casings and placed numerous evidence markers on the ground.
As of Friday evening, no suspects are in custody, and detectives from the CPD Area Four Homicide Unit are leading the investigation. Police have not released information on a possible motive.
Authorities are urging anyone with information about this homicide to contact Chicago Police or submit an anonymous tip at CPDTip.com.