A 35-year-old Birmingham man died at UAB Hospital less than 90 minutes after he was shot on Halloween afternoon, and more than two days later, police still have not said what happened or who did it. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victim as Brandon Dontai Carpenter, confirming he suffered gunshot wounds during a reported assault in the 2000 block of Powderly Avenue SW.
According to WVTM 13, the coroner’s office said the shooting happened just before 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 31, near West End Hills Missionary Baptist Church. The coroner’s office has placed the time of the reported assault at approximately 3:29 p.m., per ABC 33/40. Separately, WBRC reported that police were called to Powderly Avenue SW around 3:30 p.m. for a gunshot wound.
Carpenter was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 4:55 p.m. that same afternoon — meaning he died within roughly 90 minutes of being shot. The Birmingham Police Department is investigating his death as a homicide, per the coroner’s office, though the shooting circumstances remain unclear days later.
Police Have Stayed Silent on Key Questions
The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office has referred questions about the circumstances of Carpenter’s death to Birmingham police, but the department has not publicly provided details about the shooting. ABC 33/40 reports it made multiple attempts to get information from Birmingham police and did not receive answers to its questions. The station says investigators have not said whether a suspect has been identified, whether Carpenter was specifically targeted, whether anyone has been arrested, or whether there is an ongoing threat to the community. ABC 33/40 says it plans to continue seeking answers from investigators and will provide updates as information becomes available.
One of Several Shootings Over a Violent Weekend
Carpenter’s death was one of several fatal shootings in Birmingham that same weekend. In the 1900 block of Second Avenue South, a 43-year-old man was shot and pronounced dead at the scene at 4:51 p.m.; his name had not been released because his family had not yet been notified, according to ABC 33/40’s reporting. The outlet also reported that two separate shootings happened less than eight minutes apart in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West shortly after 7:50 p.m. Saturday, in which 19-year-old Dre’Shawn Te’Verious Thomas was shot at 7:51 p.m. and pronounced dead at the scene by 8:24 p.m.
Altogether, three people were killed and at least 11 were shot in separate incidents across Birmingham that weekend, per the same ABC 33/40 report. A mass shooting outside a football game in Alabama that Saturday also killed one person and injured eight others, according to CBS News. Authorities have not said whether any of the weekend’s shootings, including the one that killed Carpenter, were connected to one another.
A Mixed Picture in the City’s Crime Numbers
The bloody weekend arrived even as Birmingham’s year-to-date crime data has trended downward. Through Oct. 26, the city had recorded 35 homicides, down 47.8% from 67 over the same period in 2025, and 142 shooting victims, down 40.6% from 239, the same ABC 33/40 report notes. Total violent offenses fell 10.6%, from 1,923 to 1,719, over that span.
Not every category improved, however. Domestic violence assaults rose 16.9%, climbing from 455 to 532 incidents in the city’s year-to-date comparison. For now, Carpenter’s family and neighbors near Powderly Avenue SW are left waiting, with police yet to say whether anyone will be held accountable for his death.
