A targeted shooting on a Saturday afternoon in Ensley, Birmingham, ended with 62-year-old Randy Rivers dead. On August 8, 2026, at about 12:38 p.m. Rivers was driving on 47th Street when he was struck by gunfire, lost control of his vehicle and crashed into a nearby house. Officers arriving at the 1300 block found Rivers unresponsive in the wrecked vehicle; he was pronounced dead at 1:09 p.m.

Police say the attack was not random and that Rivers was the intended target. Within three hours the Violent Criminal Apprehension Team arrested 27-year-old Jeffery Matthews in the 2500 block of Mayfield Avenue S.W. Matthews was charged with capital murder, initially held in the Birmingham City Jail and later transferred to the Jefferson County Jail without bond. This is listed as Birmingham’s 28th homicide this year.

What information do readers in Ensley or Birmingham have about Rivers, his movements that day, or the events on 47th Street that could help investigators?