Man, Woman, and Child Found Fatally Shot in Car Near Birmingham Park

A young child was among three people killed in a barrage of gunfire near a Birmingham park on Saturday.

The shots rang out shortly before 5:30 p.m. in the 1700 block of Indian Summer Drive on the city’s east side.

The shooting occurred at or near the entrance to Echo Highlands Park in the Echo Highlands neighborhood, off Winewood Road.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald stated that police initially received a 911 call about a wreck. Upon arrival, officers discovered a sedan in front of a house next to the park.

The car had apparently jumped a curb and come to a stop in front of the home. It was riddled with bullet holes.

Inside the vehicle, officers found a man, a woman, and a young school-aged child. They were identified as a mother and her son, along with the mother’s boyfriend.

All three were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police said the child appeared to be no more than 7 or 8 years old.

“We believe some sort of interaction took place between the occupants of the victims’ vehicle and the suspects’ vehicle,’’ Fitzgerald said.

Witnesses reported seeing the shooter or shooters flee in another vehicle. The majority of the shell casings were found in the park's parking area.

Family members rushed to the scene, visibly distraught.

“Anytime we have a homicide, it affects us,’’ Fitzgerald said. “But when you have a child, it affects you differently.”

“In this case, we have a small, school-aged child that got caught up in the violence that’s taking place in our city,’’ he continued. “We have to ask the question, ‘When is enough going to be enough?’”

“We have to get to the bottom of this immediately,’’ he said.

These deaths mark the city’s 83rd, 84th, and 85th homicides of the year. Of those, eight have been ruled justifiable and are not considered criminal.

In all of Jefferson County, there have been 108 homicides, including the 85 in Birmingham.

Police are asking for the public’s help.

“There’s only one way in and one way out,’’ Fitzgerald said. “Somebody saw something, somebody heard something.”