BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – On what started out as an average Wednesday night, a violent chain of events in southwest Birmingham left two men dead and the community in shock. Authorities named the dead as 34-year-old Damon Gardner and 26-year-old Mike Williams. Both men tragically lost their lives in two separate but possibly related shootings. Police are now under a time crunch to find out if the fatal cases are related to a personal dispute that took a deadly turn.
Malik Williams was killed in the first incident, which happened in a residential neighborhood at about five o'clock in the evening. The initial findings of law enforcement indicate that the incident may have been caused by an encounter that turned violent due to a disagreement on social media. Before there were shots, witnesses at the site claimed to have heard heated arguments. Williams was hit during the fight and was seriously injured until help arrived.
Williams was taken by paramedics to UAB Hospital, where doctors did everything they could to save him. Unfortunately, Williams succumbed to his injuries not long after they arrived, despite their best efforts. Friends and family came together to mourn the loss of a young man whose life was cruelly cut short by his death, sending shockwaves through the neighborhood.
At about 8:30 p.m., less than four hours after the initial shooting, Birmingham police received a call about another shooting that had occurred not far from Williams' death. Police were dispatched to the scene this time by ShotSpotter equipment, designed to detect gunfire and notify authorities of its location. When they got there, they discovered 34-year-old Damon Gardner unconscious in the middle of the street.
