High school senior shot, killed two weeks before graduation
By WVTM Staff
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BIRMINGHAM, Alabama (WVTM) — An investigation is underway in west Birmingham after a 17-year-old was shot and killed in the Arlington-West End area Monday afternoon.
Birmingham police Sgt. Rodarius Mauldin said an officer from the west precinct was responding to a call when a physical altercation was observed in the parking lot of 1228 Tuscaloosa Ave. South West.
Mauldin said when the officer entered the parking lot, the suspect grabbed a firearm from a car and shot 17-year-old Dwaine Thomas. Thomas was pronounced dead at the scene.
The suspect then fled the scene in a small blue sedan. A pursuit took place, but the suspect was able to get away and remains at large as of 10:20 p.m. Monday.
On Tuesday, Birmingham police said a person of interest was being questioned, but no further details were released. It’s unclear if that person was the suspect police pursued on Monday.
Mauldin said the preliminary investigation indicates Thomas and the suspect were involved in a physical altercation before the fight escalated to gunfire. Mauldin said people stood by and recorded the situation.
Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Dr. Mark Sullivan released the following statement on the death of the senior Carver High School student who was set to graduate in a couple of weeks:
“We have suffered the tragic loss of a student in Birmingham City Schools, and our hearts are saddened. Dwaine Thomas was a senior at Carver High School. He had already completed his graduation requirements and was scheduled to march in a couple of weeks. Our thoughts and prayers are with Dwaine’s family and his family of teachers and friends at Carver. Grief counselors will be at the school for students and staff today.”
Anyone with any information on this investigation is asked to contact BPD’s Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Anonymous tips can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers through the police department’s mobile app.
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