In the early morning hours of Friday, April 15, 2022, the life of Mickey Collins, a 25-year-old Black man from Birmingham, Alabama, was cut short by gunfire. The shooting took place in the city's Ensley neighborhood, leaving a community searching for answers.
Just before 4 a.m., West Precinct officers with the Birmingham Police Department were dispatched to the 1700 block of Avenue D after receiving reports of a person shot.
When they arrived, they discovered Mickey Collins inside a vehicle, unresponsive. He was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel were called to the scene, but there was nothing they could do, and Collins was pronounced dead.
Investigators began processing the scene for evidence. According to Officer Truman Fitzgerald, officers found "numerous spent shell casings in the roadway" surrounding the vehicle where Collins was found. The presence of the casings suggested a violent and sudden attack, but further details about what led to the shooting were not immediately available.
As of April 2022, the investigation by the Birmingham Police Department's Homicide Unit was in its early stages, and authorities stated that details were limited. No suspects have been identified, and no one is in custody in connection with the homicide. The case remains unsolved. Authorities ask anyone with information pertaining to the case to contact the BPD Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
