Jjuan Cole and Dyron Perry killed after a shooting in the parking lot near Birmingham’s Platinum

Gunfire broke out in a Birmingham parking lot early Friday, resulting in the tragic deaths of two men and leaving a woman with life-threatening injuries. The incident took place in a location where a large crowd had gathered around food trucks and outside Platinum nightclub.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has confirmed the identities of the victims as Jjuan James Cole, aged 22, a resident of Birmingham, and Dyron Malik Mays-Perry, aged 27, who lived in Midfield.

Around 1 a.m., an officer from the North Precinct was nearby on the 800 block of Second Avenue North when they heard gunshots. The city’s gunshot detection system, Shot Spotter, also registered multiple rounds being fired, according to Officer Truman Fitzgerald.

People alerted the officer, flagging him down to inform him of a shooting at the Washer and Refrigeration Supply Company parking lot. Upon arrival, the officer discovered an unresponsive man in the lot.

Additional individuals informed the officer of another victim, an adult female, who had suffered gunshot wounds. She was still alive and promptly transported to UAB Hospital with critical injuries.

In the same parking lot, a third victim, an adult male, was discovered unresponsive. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the deaths of both men on the scene. Fitzgerald indicated that it seems all the shots were discharged within that parking area.

Numerous shell casings were located in close proximity to the victims.

Fitzgerald mentioned he couldn’t provide the precise count of shots fired, but indicated it was in the tens. Numerous vehicles and the Washer and Refrigeration Supply Company were struck by the gunfire. “At present, we’re endeavoring to reconstruct the events that precipitated the gunfire,” Fitzgerald stated.

Almost two hours following the tragic shootings, there were still around 70 to 100 individuals present in the vicinity. Fitzgerald noted that there were likely more at the time of the incident. “We urge these individuals to step forward and provide us with any information,” he emphasized.

“The most disheartening aspect is that we’ve lost two more members of our community just a month after we mourned the loss of two others on Labor Day,” Fitzgerald lamented. “Simply going out in Birmingham shouldn’t carry the risk of a fatal outcome,” he added.

“We rely on our community to convey a clear message: if you bring violence to our city, we will take every necessary measure to ensure justice is served. It all starts with individuals stepping up and sharing what they know,” he emphasized. “These individuals need to come forward and provide us with their knowledge so we can remove these threats from our streets. We’ve sadly seen the loss of third and fourth lives within a month, just by being out in our city,” he added.

This tragic incident now accounts for the city’s 101st and 102nd homicides in 2023. Among these, one involved an officer from an external law enforcement agency, and seven others have been deemed justifiable.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.