Renard Keith West, a 55-year-old Black man, was killed in the early morning hours of July 5, 2024, in Birmingham’s Arlington-West End neighborhood. Police responded before 5:00 a.m. to a ShotSpotter alert and found West in the front yard of a Cotton Avenue residence with a fatal gunshot wound.

Those who knew West described him as well-loved and non-violent; his younger brother said Renard was never the aggressor and would more often be on the receiving end of violence than start it. Officers detained a male suspect at the scene, and the Birmingham Police Department later confirmed an arrest in connection with the homicide. Investigators indicated the shooting grew out of an interpersonal conflict.

If anyone knew Renard or has information about what happened on Cotton Avenue that morning, please come forward.