Chelsea
CRIME & SAFETY
Man shot to death at gas station outside Walmart in Birmingham
A man was shot to death Saturday afternoon in a gas station outside two busy east Birmingham shopping areas. Birmingham police Saturday night identified the slain man as Richard Allen Judkins. He was 54 and lived in Birmingham. About 4:45 p.m, a man walked up to a sergeant at the...
Homewood police officer shot while leaving for work; hours-long standoff ends in suspect’s suicide
A Homewood police officer was rushed to UAB Hospital after he was shot early Sunday. The suspect took his own life after an hours-long standoff. Moody police identified him as 30-year-old Brandon Gaines. The shooting happened shortly after 4:30 a.m. in Moody. Homewood police Sgt. John Carr said the officer,...
Bibb County mass shooting also impacting Bessemer community
BESSEMER, Ala. (WBRC) - The Bibb County mass shooting that killed five people is also affecting the Bessemer community. WBRC has confirmed the murder suspect, Brandon Kendrick, is related to the pastor at Oasis of Praise Church. Kendrick is charged with five counts of capital murder in the shooting deaths of his wife, Kelsey, and four children.
Days after deadly shooting, Birmingham judge orders event center to be locked up
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) — A week following a deadly shooting where four people were killed and 10 others injured, a judge has ordered a Birmingham event center to be locked up. On Friday, Circuit Judge Monica Agee ordered that a a nightclub in the 3400 block of 27th Street North be temporarily padlocked, pending an […]
Funeral honors 3 Birmingham nightclub mass shooting victims
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The community is remembering the people lost in a mass shooting at a Birmingham nightclub last weekend. A funeral service was held Saturday inside Boutwell Auditorium for three of the four victims. Many people were in tears as they said farewell to 24-year-old Lerandus Anderson, 42-year-old...
Police question man after making online threat against Birmingham Mayor Woodfin
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The Birmingham Police Department says they, along with federal partners, have questioned a man who made threats against Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in a recent Facebook post. The Facebook post said, “Woodfin can get hit with this switch” and included two photos of a man posing...
‘He was full of life’: Family honoring the life of a 31-year-old man who vanished on the Fourth of July
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - The family of Deundray Cottrell held a vigil Thursday night, July 18, 2024, to honor his life. Cottrell went missing on July 4 while visiting family in Birmingham. His body was found two days later inside a shed just a block from the family home. It’s...
Birmingham leaders stress importance of not giving safe harbor to shooters, killers
Birmingham, Ala. (WBRC) - Birmingham leaders continue to stress if you are helping a fugitive hide from authorities it could mean trouble for you. Mayor Randall Woodfin has said too many people in Birmingham are giving safe harbor to shooters and killers. Over the past few weeks, the city has...
Building catches fire in downtown Bessemer
BESSEMER, Ala. (WIAT) — Authorities are investigating after a building in downtown Bessemer was fully engulfed in flames Friday afternoon. The fire was reported at 11:40 a.m. at a building containing United Textiles along 2nd Avenue in Bessemer. No injuries were reported on the scene. As of 5 p.m., the fire was put out by […]
Judge grants temporary restraining order at unlicensed venue after mass shooting
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — A Jefferson County Judge granted the temporary restraining order filed by the City of Birmingham to prevent operations from continuing at 3427 27th Street North. SEE RELATED COVERAGE:. A hearing was held in Judge Monica Agee's courtroom Friday morning. Attorneys for the city said this...
Housing Authority of the Birmingham District makes $2 million investment into police task force
The Birmingham City Council has approved a renewal of an agreement with the Housing Authority of the Birmingham District that will provide housing authority properties with a police task force and community policing programs.
Man identified in deadly Bessemer shooting
BESSEMER, Ala. — Bessemer police are searching for the person who shot and killed a man Thursday night. Officers responded to a shooting call just before midnight at the 1900 block of 10th Avenue. When they arrived, they found Demetrius La Keen Fletcher, 43, had been shot. He was...
Woman charged with stealing money from a Tuscaloosa church
A woman has been charged in an alleged criminal scheme against a church. The U.S. attorney's office in Birmingham reported that Kristen Battocletti, 35, was charged with embezzling money from St. Francis of Assisi University Parish in Tuscaloosa. A news release stated court information showed a charge of wire fraud...
Birmingham firefighter's family leads crusade for justice in unsolved case a year after death
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A fallen firefighter’s loved ones using their grief to help put a stop to gun violence on Friday. Exactly one year ago, Birmingham firefighters Jordan Melton and Jamal Jones were shot inside a Norwood fire station. Jones survived, but Melton died five days later. In the year since his death, his family has led a crusade to get justice for him, while encouraging others to turn away from violence.
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