In the early morning hours of March 3, 2024, a gathering at a short-term rental property in Birmingham, Alabama, turned tragic, ending the life of 21-year-old Phong Nguyen. A male, known to his loved ones as 'Timmy,' Nguyen was a Birmingham native who had served in the U.S. Army Airborne Artillery after graduating from Clay-Chalkville High School, where he had also played basketball for Pinson Valley High School.
The fatal incident occurred at approximately 2:35 a.m.
at a residence in the 900 block of Dugan Avenue in the North Pratt neighborhood. Birmingham Police Department officers responded to a report of a person shot and, upon arrival, discovered Nguyen unresponsive inside the home. He was suffering from an apparent gunshot wound, and despite the efforts of Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel, he was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Preliminary investigations by detectives revealed that the house was being used as an Airbnb and a party was underway when the sound of gunshots pierced the air. Authorities are still working to determine the sequence of events that led to the shooting and whether the person or persons responsible were inside the party or outside the residence when the shots were fired. This tragic event marked the city's 17th homicide investigation of 2024.
As of now, no arrests have been made in connection with the shooting death of Phong Nguyen. The Birmingham Police Department has urged anyone with information regarding the incident to come forward and contact their Homicide Unit or Crime Stoppers to assist in the ongoing investigation and bring those responsible to justice.
