Alabama's crime-ridden capital is suing the owners of a local gas station and an adjacent eatery for allegedly fueling gun violence and other problems.
The Birmingham City Attorney's Office alleged in court papers that the Shell station and a Boston Fish Supreme take-out restaurant next door have put residents nearby at "serious risk of suffering immediate and irreparable harm," according to a news release posted online Tuesday.
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr said in an affidavit that the properties on Third Avenue West "have been at the center of numerous shootings, altercations and other felony assaults" and that the owners appeared "unwilling to take the necessary steps to stop criminal activity from occurring on the premises."
Efforts to get comments from the businesses were unsuccessful, according to the the website al.com, which first reported on the case Monday night.
The lawsuit was filed in the wake of a mass shooting that killed David Westbrook, 24, and injured six others in the parking lot early Sunday.
Another killing took place there in April 2022, when Davion Hickley, 19, was slain during a shooting in which more than 100 rounds were fired.
A 43-year-old woman, Genise Carter, was also beaten and kidnapped in front of multiple witnesses, only one of whom called 911, before her naked body was found dumped on a dead-end street in January.
The city alleged that the properties have been "essentially used as a aunching pad for criminal activity" and that police received more than 50 calls about them during the past month.
"Our small businesses are the backbone of our city, but when they do not provide a basic commitment to protecting their premises, they jeopardize the well-being of their businesses and the public," Mayor Randall Woodfin said.
"Local businessowners must be accountable for the activity on their property, specifically properties that have been constant sites of illegal disruption."
Birmingham police have recorded non-justified 42 homicides this year, up from 38 during the same period in 2023, according to local TV station WBRC.
Six of this year's slayings took place over 24 hours in February.
