On the evening of July 20, 2021, 11-month-old Raylee Dior Allen was fatally shot while riding in a car on the 800 block of 12th Street North in Birmingham, Alabama. She was taken to a nearby hospital but died of her wounds. Raylee’s mother, a Jefferson County Sheriff’s deputy, was in the vehicle and was not physically harmed. Both parents were questioned by investigators in the immediate aftermath; no charges were filed against them at that time.

Birmingham police described the shooting as a targeted attack in which the infant was not believed to be the intended victim. Detectives developed evidence pointing to an individual, a warrant was issued, and that person was taken into custody and charged with capital murder in connection with Raylee’s death. The alleged motive was tied to an ongoing dispute. The case is moving through the criminal justice system and further developments are pending.

If anyone has information about the shooting or the circumstances on 12th Street North that evening, please share what is known.