For nearly 70,000 fans and families who had gathered for one of Birmingham’s biggest annual sporting events, the Magic City Classic ended with one person dead and eight others wounded after gunfire outside Legion Field.
What led to the shooting remains unclear, Mayor Randall Woodfin said. Police Chief Michael Pickett said investigators believed the incident involved two parties.
Alabama A&M and Alabama State, historically Black university archrivals, had played their annual rivalry game at Legion Field on Saturday night. The meeting has been played for more than 100 years, and the Magic City Classic is the largest Historically Black College and University football game in the US.
Alabama A&M won 31-28. Most spectators and families had already begun leaving the stadium property after the game.
Then, around 7:50 p.m., gunfire erupted on the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, behind the stadium’s south endzone stands. Vendors had set up stalls there, in an area off stadium property but near Legion Field.
One person was killed. Eight others were wounded, including one person in critical condition; the other seven were listed in stable condition with non-life-threatening injuries.
Pickett described the shooting as “two senseless acts of violence. Completely senseless acts of violence.” He said he was “very grateful that more people weren't injured” and called the Magic City Classic “the largest event we have here in the city.”
Police recovered multiple firearms and secured them in the department’s property room, according to police spokesperson De'Rell Freeman. One person was detained and taken to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning. Officials did not identify that person, any victims or the person who died, and did not say whether charges had been filed.
No police officers or first responders were injured. Police suspended remaining tailgating activities, ordered people to leave the area surrounding the stadium and asked the community to submit video or other evidence through an anonymous portal.
Woodfin said: “Our community is hurt, shaken and rightfully angry. So am I. There is no argument, no beef, no misunderstanding that can justify this level of senseless violence during a night of celebration.”
He added: “The Magic City Classic is rooted in HBCU tradition, and at the heart of those traditions is family. Tonight, as a family, we grieve.”
US Representative Terri Sewell said: “Our community deserves to celebrate our traditions in peace and safety, without fear of gun violence.”
The game’s place in the city’s sporting life has also drawn efforts to preserve its history. Eddie Robinson Jr., the Alabama State coach, is a former NFL linebacker and an alumnus of the university who has proposed a Hall of Fame for the Magic City Classic.
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