The names of two men killed in Birmingham barely hours apart on Friday night have now been disclosed.
Rahkeem Darnell Vanderbilt, 32, and Diangelo Freeman, 56, were named as the victims by police on Saturday. Both were from Birmingham.
Vanderbilt and two other guys were shot shortly before 7 p.m. while they were hanging out together on Fourth Avenue S.W., right off Goldwire Street.
Officers from the South Precinct were called to the scene after receiving a report of a person shot. Officer Truman Fitzgerald stated that they discovered blood and many shell casings at the scene.
The three victims had already been transported to UAB Hospital by private vehicle, where Vanderbilt was pronounced dead.
A second victim suffered life-threatening injuries, while the third victim’s injuries are not thought to be life-threatening. Their identities have not been revealed.
Fitzgerald stated that it was unclear whether the shooter was on foot or in a vehicle.
At the scene, Shot Spotter recorded many occurrences of shooting, including one burst of 29 shots fired.
Officers from the East Precinct were called to a report of a person shot in the 7400 block of Fourth Avenue South about three hours later.
Officers arrived to discover Freeman unresponsive in a vehicle, according to Fitzgerald. On the scene, Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced him dead.
Fitzgerald stated that details about the inquiry are scarce. He did not specify if the victim was in the driver’s or passenger’s seat.
There have been no arrests in either homicide.
The homicides on Friday night, Birmingham’s first in nearly two weeks, increase the city’s homicide total for 2023 to 81. One was an officer-involved shooting by an outside law enforcement agency, and seven others were declared lawful and hence not illegal.
There have been 113 killings in Jefferson County, including the 81 in Birmingham.
Anyone with information is asked to contact the homicide unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
