BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A day of celebration around one of American college football's oldest rivalries ended in gunfire on Saturday night, when multiple people were shot outside Legion Field shortly after the 85th Magic City Classic. Birmingham police confirmed that multiple people were wounded by gunfire shortly after 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, near the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, outside the historic stadium. Police suspended all Magic City Classic tailgating, ordered everyone off the stadium property and asked anyone who filmed the shooting to send the video to investigators.
Source: HBCU Gameday
What police have confirmed — and what they have not
Birmingham police Officer De'Rell Freeman said in a statement that investigators were working at an active scene and that the department would brief the media as more information was gathered. “We cannot confirm a condition on any individuals at this time,” Freeman said. That caution matters, because the casualty picture was still unsettled late Saturday: Birmingham Fire and Rescue reported that four people suffered injuries in the shooting, according to WVTM 13, while AL.com reported that at least one shooting victim had died. Police themselves had released no total number of victims and no conditions as of late Saturday night, and Awaaz Punjab is reporting the death only as AL.com's report, not as a police-confirmed fact.
Source: HBCU Sports
Emergency crews were treating victims across a wider area than a single doorway or gate. AL.com reporter Carol Robinson reported that multiple people were shot at or near Legion Field, that at least two rescue units had already left the scene, and that additional victims were still being treated in the 300 and 400 blocks of Graymont Avenue. Birmingham Fire radio traffic also indicated that multiple victims needed emergency transportation, CNAW2 News reported.
Source: CNAW2 News
What is solid
- Gunfire erupted shortly after 7:50 p.m. on Saturday, October 31, near the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West outside Legion Field, Birmingham police said
- The shooting came more than an hour after Alabama A&M defeated Alabama State 31-28 in the 85th Magic City Classic
- Police suspended all Magic City Classic tailgating and ordered everyone to leave the stadium property
- Police have asked the public to share video of the shooting and set up an online evidence portal, promising submitters will remain anonymous
- No suspect and no motive had been publicly announced as of late Saturday night
What is only claimed
- How many people were shot in total: Birmingham Fire and Rescue reported four people injured via WVTM 13, but police released no total and said they could not confirm any individual's condition
- Whether anyone died: AL.com reported at least one victim had died; Birmingham police had not confirmed any death as of late Saturday night
- What led to the gunfire, and whether it was connected to the game or the festivities: investigators have not established either point
The order to clear the stadium grounds
In a public service announcement posted on social media at 9:59 p.m. Saturday, the Birmingham Police Department announced that all Magic City Classic tailgating activities had been suspended. “All Magic City Classic tailgating has been suspended. Everyone needs to leave the stadium property as soon as possible. Please do not come to the Legion Field stadium property at this time,” police said in a statement. The department said it would provide updated information as soon as possible and thanked the public for its cooperation.
Source: CNAW2 News
Police want your video — and promise anonymity
Late Saturday night, Birmingham police issued a second appeal, asking for the public's help with any video footage from the Magic City Classic shooting at Legion Field on Saturday, October 31, 2026. The department set up an online evidence submission portal where witnesses can upload recordings that might help investigators work out what happened, and it assured people providing footage: “YOU WILL REMAIN ANONYMOUS!” Investigators have not publicly identified a suspect or announced a motive, and authorities have not established whether the shooting grew out of an altercation connected to the football game or the surrounding festivities.
Source: HBCU Gameday
A celebration day that ended in gunfire
The Magic City Classic is among the largest annual events in HBCU sports: the rivalry between Alabama A&M University of Huntsville and Alabama State University of Montgomery, the two largest historically Black universities in Alabama, has been played at Legion Field since 1946. The stadium itself stands at 400 Graymont Avenue — the same block where Saturday's victims were treated — seats about 71,594 people, and is named in honour of the American Legion, the United States organisation of military veterans. The Classic weekend brings thousands of alumni, students and supporters to Birmingham for a parade, concerts, tailgating and community gatherings, and the game drew thousands of fans on Saturday, with celebrations and tailgating continuing around the stadium after the final whistle. Alabama A&M's 31-28 win ended a four-game losing streak against Alabama State in the rivalry, according to game reports.
The shooting also came despite advance security planning. Ahead of Saturday's game, Birmingham-area law enforcement agencies had announced heightened security measures around Legion Field, including uniformed officers, plainclothes personnel and surveillance equipment, HBCU Gameday reported. The gunfire, and the rushed clearing of the grounds on Halloween night, now leave the city asking how a shooting could happen at the edge of one of its biggest and most heavily policed annual events.
Birmingham police are asking anyone who recorded video of the shooting near Legion Field on October 31 to upload it through the department's online evidence portal. Police say people who submit footage will remain anonymous. Anyone travelling near the stadium area should follow police directions and not come to the Legion Field property while the investigation continues.
What happens next
As of late Saturday night, police had not said what led to the shooting, whether anyone had been taken into custody, or when the next briefing would come — only that the scene remained active, with officers and detectives investigating, and that the department would brief the media as soon as more information was gathered. The first facts still to be settled are the ones that matter most to the families involved: the confirmed number of victims, their conditions, and whether the death reported by AL.com is confirmed by police or the coroner. Until investigators release those details, every total circulating from scanner traffic or social media should be treated as unconfirmed.
For the thousands who came to Birmingham for the Classic, the weekend was supposed to be about football, marching bands and reunion. It ended instead with rescue units pulling away from Graymont Avenue and a police order emptying the grounds of the Old Gray Lady. What happened in the minutes after 7:50 p.m. on Saturday is now a criminal investigation, and the video on fans' phones may be what answers it.