Public Safety

1 dead, 8 injured in two shootings outside Birmingham's Legion Field after Magic City Classic

Birmingham, Alabama • November 1, 2026 • By Press Pass USA

Editorial illustration: police cars and crime-scene tape on a street outside a football stadium at dusk, with empty vendor stalls along the sidewalk

Editorial illustration — Press Pass USA

One person was killed and eight others were injured in two shootings minutes apart outside Legion Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, October 31, after the Magic City Classic college football game, city officials said Sunday.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin told reporters at a Sunday afternoon briefing that the two shootings were separate incidents. The first, outside the stadium perimeter more than an hour after the game between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University had ended, left six victims. The second, less than eight minutes later across the street from the stadium, in an area where food vendors were set up, left three victims.

Shots rang out in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue near Legion Field beginning around 7:50 p.m. Saturday, Birmingham police said. Fire crews dispatched around 7:55 p.m. began treating gunshot victims at the scene, Fire Chief Cory D. Moon said. One person was pronounced dead at the scene. Among those taken to hospitals, two were listed in critical condition and five in stable condition, Moon said. The victims ranged in age from 19 to about 30.

A 17-year-old is in custody on a 48-hour hold, Woodfin said. The teenager, who is not affiliated with either university, was carrying a gun fitted with a Glock conversion switch, the mayor said. Woodfin added that there is more than one suspect in the case, and the investigation remains active. Police recovered multiple firearms at the scene, a police spokesperson said.

Most spectators had already left the stadium when the shootings happened, Police Chief Michael Pickett said Saturday, adding that he was "very grateful that more people weren't injured." Police suspended Magic City Classic tailgating after the shootings and asked attendees to leave the stadium area as officers secured it. Police have asked anyone with video from the area to submit it to investigators.

Woodfin stressed that the shootings did not happen because of the game itself. "This afternoon, our community is still shaken," he said Sunday. "We can acknowledge this tragedy without characterizing the classic," he added, calling the 85-year-old rivalry "family-friendly and safe" and urging "an honest conversation about public safety" without assigning blame where it does not belong.

The violence came one week after a mass shooting near Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, in which shots fired during a fight wounded 11 people, including six juveniles, CNN noted.

Sources: CNN (Nov. 1, 2026); WIAT / Alabama's 13 (Nov. 1, 2026, Sunday briefing); USA Today (Nov. 1, 2026).