Young mother killed in gunfire during brawl at Alabama apartment complex, authorities say

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) — A fight late Tuesday at an apartment complex in Birmingham escalated into a shooting that left a young mother dead and a man injured and authorities said it was all captured on videos posted to Facebook.

“Last night on private property at Valley Brook apartments a physical fight led to a barrage of gunfire and a young mother was left dead,’′ Mayor Randall Woodfin posted on the social media site.

“The shooters have two options,’′ the mayor said. “They can immediately turn themselves in to Birmingham police or be hunted down by BPD and U.S. Marshals.”

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Asia Alyce Poole, 21.

Video showed Poole in a brawl Tuesday night at the Monarch Ridge apartments that involved multiple people, according to Al.com. It appeared to start near a vehicle in the parking lot and then moved to a breezeway in one of the apartment buildings and continued before gunfire erupted.

Sgt. LaQuitta Wade said officers were dispatched at about 10 p.m. and found Poole unresponsive when they arrived. She was pronounced dead on the scene by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service a half hour later, the news site said.

The victim had posted her own live video from the parking lot shortly before the fight and the gunfire. Police said 36 shell casings were initially recovered, but that number tripled as the investigation continued, authorities said.

A second victim, a man, was transported to an area hospital with non life-threatening injuries.

After the shooting, someone fled in Poole’s car. It wasn’t immediately clear how the person had access to the vehicle, which was later found abandoned in the parking lot of a business.

No arrests have been made.

Wade said the videos will be helpful in the investigation but she expressed dismay at the situation.

“It is somewhat frustrating that nobody was doing anything to alleviate the situation,’’ she said. “We did get some calls, but it is alarming the amount of people present that did not intervene to keep it from happening. It’s sad and our heartfelt condolences go out to the family of the victim.”

Police urged anyone with information or additional videos of the incident to call detectives at 205-254-1764 or CrimeStoppers at 205-254-7777.