$10K Reward Offered for Information Leading to Arrest in Birmingham Shooting that Injured 5, Killed 2

Compiled From Online Reports

A reward has been offered for information after seven people were shot and two were killed in west Birmingham Thursday night.

The Jefferson County Coroner identified the victims as Bernard Duane Montez Watts, 50, and Diandra Young Johnson, 33. Both are from Birmingham.

Thursday’s shooting was the first of three deadly shootings within 48 hours in the city.

Friday, a man was killed after he was in an argument with another man before the two fired gunshots at one another.

Saturday, Birmingham Police say they were called to the 2400 block of Snavely Avenue at 7:35 p.m. on a report of a person shot.

Officers say when they arrived, they found a woman lying unresponsive in a yard suffering from multiple apparent gunshot wounds.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue took the woman to UAB Hospital where she died.

Police say a preliminary investigation has revealed that a previous altercation took place at the residence that led to the woman being shot and killed Saturday night.

Deputy Chief of Public Safety Carlton L. Peeples released a statement over the weekend:

“The shooting in the Sandusky community is unacceptable. Two people have lost their lives, two others remain in critical condition, and three more are recovering from injuries.

As a city, we must wake up. We cannot allow this level of violence to become normalized or accepted. This is not who we want to be as Birmingham, and it is not the future we are willing to accept. Every life lost is one too many, and every act of violence tears at the fabric of our community.

To help bring those responsible to justice, a $10,000 reward is being offered through Crime Stoppers for information leading to an arrest in this case. If you know something, say something. Your information could help provide answers to grieving families and help prevent further violence in our community. Call (205) 254-7777.

We must come together, as neighbors, families, faith leaders, community organizations, and law enforcement, to reject violence, support one another, and choose a different path for our city.”

Birmingham District 9 Council Pro Tem LaTonya Tate also spoke Friday, saying the city should not have to be mourning situations like this:

“Earlier this week at the Birmingham City Council meeting, we stood alongside victims, community organizations, and affected family members as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month.

Today we’re mourning another senseless tragedy that has taken two lives and impacted countless others. It shouldn’t be like this, and we refuse to accept this as a recurring, unavoidable pain.This investigation is still under way and law enforcement is gathering more details at this time.

One thing is certain: it will take every single citizen of this city standing in solidarity to put an end to this.We must remain committed to peaceful conflict resolution efforts because gunfire has never settled a disagreement or solved a problem.

Our hearts go out to the families left to pick up the pieces and grieve. We are all exhausted by this cycle of violence and the unnecessary suffering it brings, but we are far from defeated.

We remain committed to investing in community-based organizations focused on gun violence reduction. We’ve seen this work. But we need your help.”