Birmingham police believe 2 teens targeted in overnight shooting

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A 15-year-old girl remains critically injured after a shooting at a Birmingham gas station Monday evening.

The Birmingham Police Department said the girl and her 14-year-old brother were at Gas Land on Bessemer Road when a suspect shot at them from a vehicle. The teen is expected to recover from his injuries, which are not life-threatening.

Surveillance video shared by the gas station owner shows the teens inside a U-Haul van moments before the shooting. Their mother was driving the van and their father was standing in the parking lot.

“The next thing you know, someone walks by and fires almost 10 rounds at a 14- and 15-year-old kid,” BPD Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.

Investigators believe the two teenagers were targeted. Fitzgerald also says the motive for the shooting may have stemmed from an incident earlier in the evening.

The children's father – who did not want to be filmed – is convinced they were not the intended target of the shooting. He says they may have been mistaken for someone else as they headed to the gas station.

Ensley Highlands Neighborhood Association President Antwon Womack was at the scene last night and had this to say about the shooting:

“I think what hurts me the most is the fact that these two young people haven’t even started their lives yet,” he said.

No one is in custody in connection with this case, BPD reports. Those with information about the case are asked to call BPD at 205-254-1764 or submit an anonymous tip to Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.