For Alabama A&M, the Magic City Classic ended exactly the way a rivalry night should. The Bulldogs beat Alabama State 31-28 at Legion Field. Some fans stayed to celebrate, most left, tailgates kept rolling, and vendors were set up along Graymont Avenue. Then gunfire cut through all of it, and the night stopped being about the game.
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According to reports, at least one person was killed and eight others were injured in a shooting incident after the Magic City Classic in Birmingham. The shooting occurred on October 31, around 7:50 p.m., near the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, close to Legion Field and more than an hour after the game had ended. One of the victims is in critical condition; the other seven are stable.
One person was detained and taken to police headquarters for questioning. Even so, police have not publicly identified a suspect or announced any arrests, and the circumstances behind the shooting remain unclear.
“Multiple firearms were recovered from the scene by officers and turned into our property room,” Birmingham police assistant public information officer De’Rell Freeman said.
That gives investigators physical evidence to work with. Police have not said whose weapons they were or what led to the gunfire.
“Everyone needs to leave the stadium property as soon as possible. Please do not come to the Legion Field stadium property at this time,” the Birmingham Police Department said.
The message came as police suspended all remaining Magic City Classic tailgating.
“Everyone knows this is the largest event we have here in the city and it’s extremely taxing on our personnel,” Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said in a statement via WBRC.
Pickett said other law enforcement agencies offered support quickly. He also praised officers who ran toward the gunfire and checked people for injuries as they moved in.
“Our community is hurt, shaken and rightfully angry. So am I,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said.
Woodfin added that no argument can justify this level of violence on a night meant for celebration. Police are now asking anyone with video from before, during, or after the shooting to submit it anonymously through the department’s tip portal.
The Birmingham shooting came one week after another near Florida A&M in Tallahassee. On October 24, after FAMU’s homecoming game, 11 people were shot, including six juveniles, in an incident that reportedly followed a fight and another confrontation. Six of the 11 were still hospitalized.
“We estimate anywhere from 3,000 to 6,000 people were probably on Perry Street,” Tallahassee Police Chief Lawrence Revell said.
Those thousands were gathered outside Bragg Memorial Stadium after the game, which is the scale police were dealing with before the gunfire started.
Alabama A&M held off Alabama State in the Magic City Classic
Alabama A&M jumped out to a 14-0 lead in the first half, and Alabama State trimmed it to 14-7 before halftime. The Bulldogs stretched it to 17-7 in the third quarter, then to 24-14. The Hornets answered to make it 24-21, but Kolton Nero scored on a 4-yard run after a 61-yard rush, putting A&M up 31-21 with 3:47 remaining.
Alabama State’s DJ Hicks answered by returning the ensuing kickoff 86 yards to the A&M 6-yard line. Two plays later, Jareese Howard ran in from 3 yards out to make it 31-28 with 3:01 left. The Hornets got the ball back with 1:37 on the clock, but A&M’s defense shut them down.
“It’s special, man; it means a lot. It’s bragging rights, and it’s a rivalry game between two great institutions,” Alabama A&M head coach Sam Shade said in the postgame presser.
It was A&M’s first win in the series since 2021 and snapped a four-game losing streak against Alabama State. The Bulldogs moved to 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the SWAC, while the Hornets fell to 4-4 and 2-3.
“I’m just so glad we were able to come out here and finish the game,” quarterback Cornelious Brown IV said.
Brown went 22 of 35 for 216 yards and two touchdowns and added 60 rushing yards and a score. A&M finished with 420 total yards, 216 passing and 204 rushing, against 344 for Alabama State. DJ Barber led the Bulldogs with 13 tackles, while Aaron Frye ran for 90 yards for the Hornets.