BIRMINGHAM, AL — A Birmingham police officer fatally shot an armed man Monday afternoon in the Ensley community after police said the man waved a gun, fired toward a residence and advanced on an officer during a confrontation.
The Aug. 24 shooting in the 3100 block of Avenue I brought a large police response to a residential part of Ensley and marked another deadly encounter involving Birmingham officers in 2026. Investigators were still working Tuesday to establish the full sequence of events, including what happened before police arrived and exactly what the officer saw before firing. Authorities had not immediately released all evidence from the scene or publicly identified the officer involved.
Police said the confrontation began after officers received reports involving an armed man in the neighborhood Monday afternoon. According to the department’s preliminary account, the man had been waving a firearm and fired at a nearby home before an officer encountered him.
Police said the man then moved toward the officer while still armed. The officer fired, striking him. Emergency responders came to the scene, but the man died from his wounds. No officer was reported injured.
The shooting quickly drew officers and investigators to the blocks around Avenue I and 33rd Street, where police tape restricted access and marked off part of the neighborhood. Early television reports showed a heavy police presence as investigators began documenting the scene and collecting evidence.
The police account remained preliminary Tuesday, and several important details had not been independently established. Authorities had not publicly provided a complete timeline showing how much time passed between the first reports of the armed man, the alleged gunfire at the residence and the officer’s decision to shoot.
It also was not immediately clear how close the man was to the officer when the officer fired, how many shots the officer discharged or whether the man fired at police. Authorities said a gun was involved in the encounter, but complete forensic findings had not been released.
Investigators were expected to examine physical evidence, witness statements and any available video as they worked to determine the precise movements of both the man and the officer in the moments before the shooting.
The sudden police response shocked people living nearby, where residents described the area as generally quiet. One neighbor interviewed by WVTM 13 said the events were difficult to believe after seeing the street fill with police.
The resident’s reaction reflected the abrupt change in the neighborhood Monday, as an ordinary afternoon gave way to police vehicles, crime-scene tape and investigators working near homes. Officers maintained a large perimeter around the scene while the shooting was investigated.
The encounter occurred in Birmingham’s Ensley area, which is served by the department’s West Precinct and includes neighborhoods across the western side of the city.
The fatal shooting came less than two weeks after another Birmingham police officer killed a man at UAB St. Vincent’s Birmingham.
In that Aug. 13 case, police said an officer tried to detain 38-year-old Matthew Sean Massey after a security guard reported that Massey had assaulted a McDonald’s employee. Police said Massey ran into a hospital parking deck, where the officer used a Taser.
According to investigators, Massey then tried to gain control of the Taser before the officer fired his gun. Massey died at the scene. Police Chief Michael Pickett later said the department planned to release body-camera video when doing so would not interfere with the investigation.
Another fatal encounter occurred June 10, when Birmingham officers were trying to arrest two people wanted on multiple warrants in the 100 block of B.Y. Williams Drive. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office later identified the person killed as 19-year-old Xavier Marquez Gray of Birmingham.
Police said one suspect got out of a vehicle during the attempted arrests and gunfire followed. Taken together, the June shooting, the Aug. 13 hospital shooting and Monday’s Ensley shooting make the Avenue I case the third fatal shooting involving Birmingham police officers reported during 2026.
Deadly police shootings are subject to investigative and legal review before officials determine whether an officer’s actions were justified. Investigators typically examine body-camera footage, emergency calls, firearms evidence, witness accounts, photographs and other physical evidence before presenting findings for further review.
In previous Birmingham cases, investigative findings have been turned over to the Jefferson County District Attorney’s Office for assessment. Authorities had not announced Tuesday when that process would be completed in the Ensley case.
They also had not announced a date for releasing video of the confrontation, if usable body-camera or other footage exists. Such evidence could provide a clearer view of the seconds immediately before the officer fired.
The identity of the man killed also remained a key piece of information awaited after the shooting. In fatal cases, the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office generally releases a person’s name after relatives have been notified.
Officials had not immediately provided a full account of the man’s age, connection to the neighborhood or what may have led to the reported gunfire before officers arrived. Police likewise had not publicly identified the officer who fired or said how long that officer had served with the department.
Authorities also had not said whether anyone was inside the residence that police said was fired upon or whether the gunfire caused injuries there.
Questions remained about the initial calls that brought police to the area. Dispatch information, including how callers described the armed man and whether officers knew shots had already been fired before they arrived, could help establish what officers understood as they approached the scene.
Investigators may also examine whether nearby homes or businesses captured surveillance footage. Police departments commonly compare those recordings with body-camera video and physical evidence to establish timing and location.
Any recovered shell casings could help investigators distinguish shots allegedly fired before the officer arrived from shots fired during the police encounter. No complete accounting of that evidence had been made public by Tuesday.
For neighbors, the investigation unfolded in full view. Television video from Monday showed officers spread through the area near Avenue I and 33rd Street as the scene remained secured. Residents encountered blocked streets and police tape while detectives worked near houses along the roadway.
No broad danger to residents was reported after the shooting, and authorities did not announce a search for another suspect connected to the officer’s gunfire. The focus shifted instead to reconstructing the events that ended with the man’s death and determining whether the officer’s actions complied with law and department policy.
The investigation remained active Tuesday, Aug. 25. Authorities were expected to release additional information as the man’s identity is confirmed, evidence is reviewed and investigators determine whether video or other records can be made public without affecting the case.
Author note: Last updated August 25, 2026.