One Killed, Eight Wounded in Shooting After Magic City Classic

One person was killed and eight others were wounded in a shooting outside Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, more than an hour after Alabama A&M and Alabama State played the 85th Magic City Classic.

Officers were called shortly after 7:50 p.m. to the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, near the stadium, and found nine gunshot victims, the Birmingham Police Department said. One person was pronounced dead. Another was in critical condition early Sunday, and seven were listed as stable, according to police.

One person was detained and taken to police headquarters for questioning. Multiple firearms were recovered at the scene. No arrests had been announced, and police had not identified a suspect.

Nine victims found in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West

Police said officers located multiple gunshot victims after arriving, then secured the scene so Birmingham Fire and Rescue could treat the wounded. No officers or first responders were injured.

The count climbed through the night. Early reports late Saturday put the number hurt at four, before police put the total at nine shot by early Sunday.

Birmingham Police said they received assistance from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, the Vestavia Hills Police Department, FBI Birmingham, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency and the U.S. Attorney's Office.

One person detained, no charges filed

A police spokesman said at a news conference that multiple firearms were recovered from the scene by officers and turned into the department's property room, and that one person had been detained and transported to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning. He described it as an active scene with developing information.

Detained is not arrested. Authorities have not announced any formal charges and have not publicly identified the person taken in for questioning. The person killed had not been identified publicly as of Sunday morning.

Investigators have not released a motive, and they have not said whether the gunfire grew out of an argument tied to the game or the events around it.

The chief says it happened mostly off the stadium property

"This did occur after the game," Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said. "For the most part, it was off of the property."

Pickett said most of the game's attendees and their families had already cleared the stadium when shots rang out in the area along Graymont Avenue where vendors were set up.

The chief called the shooting a senseless act of violence and thanked the agencies and individuals who helped at the scene.

Tailgating shut down and crowds told to clear out

Within hours, the police department posted an emergency notice on social media suspending all Magic City Classic tailgating.

Officers directed everyone to leave the stadium property as soon as possible and warned people not to travel toward Legion Field while the investigation was underway. All remaining tailgating activities were canceled.

Spectators and tailgaters were still gathered in the area when the gunfire started, more than an hour after the final whistle.

Woodfin: hurt, shaken and rightfully angry

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement posted on social media that the shooting left him and the community "hurt, shaken and rightfully angry."

"There is no argument, no beef, no misunderstanding that can justify this level of senseless violence during a night of celebration," Woodfin said. "But hear me clearly: We refuse to let fear shake the spirit of this community. Justice will be served to those who brought harm to those at one of our most treasured events."

The mayor tied his remarks to the traditions of historically Black colleges and universities, and to family. "Tonight, as a family, we grieve. We wrap our arms around neighbors who are dealing with unimaginable pain right now. And just like family, we will stand united as we overcome this tragic night," he said. "While this crime is under an active investigation, we will not let up until we achieve swift justice for this senseless violence."

Police are asking the crowd for its phone footage

Tens of thousands of people were in and around Legion Field on Saturday, and investigators want what their phones recorded. The department set up an online evidence portal where witnesses can upload video from the incident.

Police said anyone who submits video will remain anonymous.

Anyone with information can call Birmingham Police detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Alabama A&M beat Alabama State 31-28

On the field, Alabama A&M took the 85th Magic City Classic, 31-28 over Alabama State. Kickoff was at 2:30 p.m., and the parade through downtown Birmingham had started at 8 a.m.

The Magic City Classic is billed as the largest HBCU football game in the country, matching the state's two largest historically Black universities at a neutral site.

The weekend features a parade and large pregame tailgates in addition to the football game, and the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office expected more than 200,000 people to turn out.

Extra officers were already in place

Ahead of Saturday, Birmingham-area law enforcement agencies announced heightened security for the weekend, including uniformed officers, plainclothes personnel and surveillance equipment around Legion Field.

The shooting happened anyway, in the street outside the stadium footprint, in an area lined with vendors.

Police have not detailed how many officers were working the event or how close any were to the gunfire when it started.

Why the Classic fills a 71,000-seat stadium

Legion Field, known as the "Old Gray Lady," holds roughly 71,000 fans. Alabama A&M and Alabama State first played in 1924, the game moved to Legion Field in 1940, and it became an uninterrupted annual tradition in 1945.

Halftime is its own event. Alabama A&M's Marching Maroon & White and Alabama State's Mighty Marching Hornets trade songs and routines in front of the full stadium, and plenty of fans come for that more than the score.

Jamal Ali, vice president for Marketing, Communication & Advancement at Alabama A&M, has described the weekend this way: "The Classic is homecoming in its truest sense. The game is our centerpiece, the real story is the activity that happens around the game."

Ali also said the tailgating is where graduates run into classmates and friends, and that every part of the weekend gives alumni, friends and family a chance to reignite the flame of friendship and philanthropy.

Two schools with roots in the 1800s

Alabama State traces its origins to 1867, when nine formerly enslaved men known as the Marion Nine raised money to start a school for Black Alabamians. It opened as Lincoln Normal School in Marion and moved to Montgomery in 1887.

In 1955, Alabama State College English professor Jo Ann Gibson Robinson and other members of the Women's Political Council helped organize the Montgomery Bus Boycott. After Rosa Parks' arrest, Robinson worked through the night with two students and a fellow faculty member to produce and distribute thousands of leaflets announcing the planned protest.

Alabama A&M was founded in 1875 by William Hooper Councill, a formerly enslaved man who became an educator and school leader. It opened as Huntsville Normal School with 61 students and two teachers, later became a land-grant university, and marked its 150th anniversary in 2025.

What investigators still have not said

The name of the person killed has not been released. Neither has the name of the person detained, who faces no announced charges. No suspect has been publicly identified and no arrests have been announced.

The circumstances of the shooting remain unclear, and authorities have not said how many people fired or how the multiple recovered firearms figure into the case.

Of the eight people wounded, one remained in critical condition as of early Sunday. The other seven were stable. Police said the investigation is active and that more information would be released as it becomes available.