On a Sunday evening in Birmingham, Alabama, the life of 16-year-old Jeremiah Collier was tragically cut short. The Black male was fatally shot on February 20, 2022, in what police would investigate as a double homicide. Another teenager, 16-year-old Todd Lorenzo Johnson Jr., also lost his life in the same violent encounter. Both Collier and Johnson were students at Minor High School, and their deaths sent shockwaves through their community.
The incident unfolded around 8:09 p.m.
in the Ensley neighborhood. Birmingham police officers were dispatched to the vicinity of Avenue P and 57th Street after receiving reports of a person shot. Upon their arrival, they discovered a vehicle that had crashed into a house. Inside the car, they found Collier in the passenger seat, unresponsive and suffering from a gunshot wound. He was pronounced dead at the scene. Shortly after, officers found Johnson, who had also been shot, at the corner of 57th Street and Avenue P. He too succumbed to his injuries at the location.
Investigators believe that both teenagers were inside the same vehicle when the shooting occurred. It is thought that after the gunfire, Johnson managed to exit the car and run a short distance before collapsing. The motive behind the shooting was not immediately clear to authorities, who began a homicide investigation.
In the months that followed, the Birmingham Police Department made progress in the case. Two 16-year-old male suspects were identified and taken into custody. The first arrest was made on March 2, 2022, followed by the apprehension of the second suspect on June 16, 2022. Both teenagers are facing capital murder charges in connection with the deaths of Jeremiah Collier and Todd Lorenzo Johnson Jr.
