One person was killed and eight others were injured in a shooting in Birmingham, Alabama, on Saturday night, October 31, after the Magic City Classic college football game between Alabama State University and Alabama A and M University. Police said shots rang out near Legion Field around 7:50 in the evening, after the game had ended, in an area where vendors had set up along the street. Alabama A and M won the game 31 to 28 in the 85th meeting of the rivalry.
Birmingham police have now identified the person killed as 19 year old Dre'Shawn Thomas. Police said one of the eight people injured remained in critical condition in the latest update checked, and the other seven were listed as stable. Police recovered multiple firearms at the scene on Saturday night.
Police said a 17 year old has been charged with murder and possession of a machine gun conversion device in connection with the death of Thomas. Police said the teenager was apprehended shortly after shots were fired, was first placed on a 48 hour felony hold, and will be held with no bond at the Jefferson County Jail. Police have not released the name of the teenager in the reporting checked, and this article does not name him. A charge is an allegation, not a finding of guilt, and the teenager is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
At a news conference on Sunday, November 1, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said police are investigating two separate shootings in the area. The mayor said the first shooting injured six people outside the Legion Field perimeter and outside the tailgate area, and the second shooting, less than eight minutes later across the street from Legion Field in the Graymont Avenue area, had three victims. Police have not released a motive in the reporting checked, and the investigation remains active.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin released a statement on Saturday night, and police later asked the community for help gathering video of the incident, setting up a portal for witnesses to submit evidence anonymously. Birmingham police also said all Magic City Classic tailgating had been suspended.
This is a developing story. The Talk Lounge will update this story with care as police share more confirmed information, and sends its condolences to the family of Dre'Shawn Thomas and wishes for recovery to those injured.
Sources: CNN, November 1, 2026; USA Today, November 1, 2026; Birmingham Police Department statements reported November 1, 2026; WBRC reporting November 2 and November 3, 2026; WIAT Alabama's 42, November 3, 2026; Brownstone Worldwide, November 1, 2026
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