153 Murders Mark Birmingham’s Deadliest Year in History
By Rick McCann
Blue RAM Media/Gulf Coast News
May 27, 2025
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. While the City of Birmingham continues to fight the perception that the city is dangerous, and continues bringing in big events such as the 2025 World Police and Fires Games, an international event scheduled for June 2025, and has touted the opening of the new Coca-Cola Amphitheater on the northeast side of the city, the crime statistics for 2024 shows just how violent things have become in Birmingham.
The numbers show that Birmingham faced a violent year in 2024, marking the deadliest period in the city’s history with 153 homicides, including 16 linked to one suspect, Damien McDaniel, as prosecutors charge 15 other individuals with 33 murders.
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr expressed surprise at the number of charges.
“I’ve been doing this for 23 years. I used to say I’ve seen it all. But in this instance, I mean, that surprised me,” Carr said.
He noted the challenges his team faces due to the complexity of the cases.
“There are so many moving parts. There are so many different crime scenes. So many variables and so many different people involved,” Carr said.
Birmingham police for years has been understaffed, poorly budgeted and mismanaged.
Despite these challenges, Carr sees a unique advantage.
“You get several bites of the apples, so to speak. But the reality is, each victim is just as important as the next victim,” Carr said.
Several suspects, including McDaniel, were already in jail for other murders when additional charges were filed. McDaniel, who was linked to a dozen more killings after his October arrest, has pleaded not guilty.
Investigators are continuing their work beyond the first arrest.
“These charges, that are presently pending, it’s not the end of the road,” Carr said.
Carr believes that arresting the core group of accused killers has contributed to a decrease in Birmingham’s crime wave.
Just recently, Birmingham has seen an increase in police officer applications and has graduated several classes of new officers.
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