### Birmingham Police Identify Homicide Victim in Weekend Disappearance

Over the weekend, a man who was reported missing in Birmingham was discovered to have been murdered, authorities confirmed on Monday. Dontrell Gooden, 20, was last spotted around 11 p.m. Friday, when he was seen traveling in a vehicle in the Crestwood area.

Concerns for Gooden’s safety escalated, leading police to issue a critical missing alert on Saturday night, believing that he was in imminent danger. The search for Gooden led East Precinct officers to the Brummitt Heights neighborhood on Sunday evening. Around 7:30 p.m., they located the vehicle Gooden was last seen traveling in, parked on Spruce Avenue at Cunningham Street.

Tragically, Gooden was found inside the vehicle with a gunshot wound. Firefighters who responded to the scene pronounced him dead. This discovery marks the 146th homicide in Birmingham for the year 2024 and the fifth fatal shooting since Thursday night.

Of the 146 homicides in Birmingham this year, eleven have been classified as justifiable and therefore not criminal. Additionally, one of these homicides involved a police officer, and two were incidents that occurred in previous years with the victims succumbing to their injuries in 2024. Jefferson County, which includes Birmingham, has seen a total of 181 homicides this year.

Police are continuing their investigation and are urging anyone with information related to these shootings to come forward and assist detectives with their inquiries.