Over past week in Tuscaloosa, 3 juveniles dead, another charged with murder

A deadly week involving juveniles in Tuscaloosa. Three teens have died and another teenager is in custody charged with murder. In just 5 days, 4 people under the age of 18 have been involved and impacted by gun violence in Tuscaloosa.

Wednesday a teenager in the South Park community died in the hospital from gunshot wounds. A 20-year-old man is charged in that case.

Then Friday night an attempted armed robbery on Reese Boulevard turned fatal when a car crashed into a home after shots were fired around 11:00 pm. The teenage driver was found dead on the scene. The second teenage victim was transported to DCH but later died from his injuries. The suspect in this case is also under the age of 18.

In 2021 the Department of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives traced more than 34,000firearms used in crimes back to people 17 years old and younger. During that same year, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported firearms were the leading cause of death in Alabamians 17 year and younger.

You must be 19 years old to buy a gun in Alabama. But Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit commander Capt. Jack Kennedy said too often minors are able to get their hands on guns by stealing them or buying a stolen gun from someone else.