2 men found shot dead in apartment of a retirement home in central Birmingham

Two men were found shot to death in a senior living facility in downtown Birmingham on Thursday morning.

Shortly before 11 a.m., officers from the North Precinct were dispatched to the Freedom Manor Apartments at 1617 Fifth Ave. North.

The facility is operated by the Birmingham Housing Authority and is intended for residents aged 62 and over.

Sergeant LaQuitta Wade said officers entered a fourth-floor apartment and found both victims unconscious and suffering from gunshot wounds.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services pronounced both dead at the scene.

Both victims lived in Freedom Manor. They were found dead in the apartment of one of the victims.

Wade said a friend with a key to the apartment made the discovery and immediately called 911.

“This is a safe facility for seniors,” Wade said.

The deaths apparently were not murder and suicide; the investigation points to a double murder.

Wade said investigators do not yet know how long the victims have been dead. No residents have heard any gunshots yet.

To determine this information, the Jefferson County Coroner's Office will conduct autopsies.

The victims are the 110th and 111th murders in the city this year.

Eight of these attacks were judged to be justified, two others occurred in previous years, but the victims died in 2024.

There were 142 murders in all of Jefferson County, including 111 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham Criminal Investigation Division at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.