Talton Tate, 36, a Black man from Birmingham, Alabama, was one of four friends whose afternoon ended in sudden violence on February 16, 2024. Just before 2:45 p.m., a ShotSpotter alert brought police to the 900 block of Center Street North near a neighborhood car wash in College Hills. Officers found four people lying unresponsive near an open lot with apparent gunshot wounds. Birmingham Fire and Rescue pronounced three men dead at the scene; the fourth was taken to UAB Hospital and later died.

Early statements from investigators described the attack as abrupt and purposeful, with the men believed to have been at the car wash when an unknown suspect or suspects opened fire. Police said they believed one or more of the victims had been targeted and that no one was in custody while detectives worked leads. Two weeks after the shooting an arrest was reported in connection with the killings.

If anyone was near the car wash that afternoon or has information that could help piece together what happened, please come forward to investigators.