4 min read
The 85th Magic City Classic gave Birmingham a classic on the field Saturday. Alabama A&M held off Alabama State 31 to 28 at Legion Field, in a finish loud and close the way this rivalry so often ends. Then, after the game, shots rang out outside the stadium, and a night of celebration turned into a police emergency. The Jefferson County Coroner has now confirmed that at least one person died.
Multiple people were shot in the area around Legion Field. Police say the gunfire broke out shortly after 7:50 p.m. near the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, the street that runs past the stadium. Victims were also treated in the 300 block of Graymont Avenue, as fire and rescue crews worked the scene and rushed patients toward hospitals.
The person who died has not been publicly identified. The coroner has not released a name or an age, and police have not released a total count of the people shot, so the full toll of the night is still unknown.
Major Takeaways
- Alabama A&M beat Alabama State 31 to 28 in the 85th Magic City Classic at Legion Field.
- Gunfire broke out outside the stadium after the game, shortly after 7:50 p.m. near the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West.
- The Jefferson County Coroner has confirmed at least one person died. That person has not been identified, and no name or age has been released.
- Birmingham police suspended all Classic tailgating and ordered everyone to leave the stadium property.
- Police have not released a total count of the people shot, the condition of the wounded, or whether anyone has been arrested.
Police Clear the Stadium Grounds
In a public statement Saturday night, the Birmingham Police Department said all Magic City Classic tailgating activities are suspended. The department told everyone still on the stadium property to leave as soon as possible, and it urged the public not to come to Legion Field. Police said updated information would be released as soon as it is available.
That order cut short the part of the weekend many families love most. The tailgate at the Classic is a reunion in its own right, with generations of fans cooking, laughing and reconnecting long after the final whistle. Saturday night, that reunion ended early under police orders, while ambulances worked a few blocks away.
Detectives are asking everyone who recorded video around the stadium to share that footage with investigators through the department online evidence portal. Police say anyone who sends video will remain anonymous.
What We Still Do Not Know
This is a developing story, and the biggest questions remain unanswered. The coroner has not released the name or age of the person who died. Police have not said how many people were shot in all. They have not described the condition of any of the wounded, and no arrest, no suspect and no motive has been announced.
Chatter online is already filling those gaps with numbers and claims. None of it has been confirmed by police, and none of it will be published here as fact. Detectives now face the work of sorting out what happened outside one of the most crowded sporting events in Black America.
Urban City Podcast will update this story the moment officials release confirmed details.
Why This Weekend Matters So Much
The Magic City Classic is far more than one football game. Alabama A&M and Alabama State first met in 1924, the game has been played every year since 1945, and it has called Legion Field home since 1940.
It is the largest HBCU classic in the country. Crowds average more than 60,000 fans inside the stadium, and close to 200,000 people take part in the parade, the concerts, the tailgates and the gatherings across the weekend. The Classic pours roughly 25 million dollars into the Birmingham economy.
For Black families across Alabama and the South, Classic weekend is homecoming in every sense of the word. That is what makes Saturday night cut so deep. A weekend built on joy, pride and togetherness now carries a wound this community did not deserve.
Follow the latest in our news coverage, including the Fairfield mall shooting and our report on HBCU students marching to vote.
