A 22-year-old woman was shot and killed inside a Birmingham residence late Wednesday night after what police described as an argument with a suspect who was later detained for questioning. Makayla May Riley, of Birmingham, was found unresponsive with an apparent gunshot wound, and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Makayla May Riley, 22, according to al.com. Police said a preliminary investigation found that an argument between Riley and the suspect led to the shooting, as reported by WBRC, which described the incident as occurring during a reported domestic assault.
Accounts of the exact timing of the 911 call differ slightly. Al.com reported that officers responded about 10:45 p.m. Wednesday to an apartment in the 800 block of 44th Place North at Rev. Dr. Morrell Todd Homes, while the same outlet, WBRC, put the call at around 10:48 p.m. for a shooting at that same address. Riley was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:28 p.m., according to al.com.
Suspect Held as Investigation Continues
A suspect was detained and taken to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning, according to police cited by the same account. He was placed on a 48-hour felony extension while detectives continued working the case, per that reporting. WBMA similarly reported that police were called to a report of a person shot shortly after 10:45 p.m. and that the investigation remains ongoing, with officers finding Riley unresponsive inside a residence before Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced her dead at the scene.
A Violent Stretch for Birmingham
Riley's death marked Birmingham's 41st homicide of the year, according to al.com's reporting. The outlet also noted that the killing was the city's fifth homicide since the previous Saturday, and the second to happen in less than 24 hours in the Kingston community, following the fatal shooting of 35-year-old Ralen Jerean McCurday early Wednesday in that same neighborhood, for which no arrests had been announced.
The spike comes even as Birmingham Police have reported an overall decline in homicides for 2026. The department recorded 34 homicides through the end of the third quarter of the year, compared with 61 at the same point in 2025 and 129 in 2024, according to ABC 33/40. Citywide violent crime was down 8.6% and total Part I crime was down 13% over that same period, the department reported.
At the same time, Birmingham Police reported that domestic violence-related offenses were up 18.3% this year, according to the same update. That trend sits alongside the circumstances police described in Riley's case, where an argument preceded the fatal shooting.
