Coroner Identifies the two victims killed in a domestic shooting inside a Birmingham apartment as Sonny Arrington, 43, and Carlton Rufus Allen, 76, according to authorities.
A late-night shooting inside an apartment in Birmingham’s Ensley neighborhood left two family members dead and another woman injured, officials said. The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the victims as Sonny Arrington, 43, of Clarksville, Tennessee, and Carlton Rufus Allen, 76, of Birmingham.
Authorities said relatives had gathered for a family barbecue after attending the funeral of a 29-year-old man who had been shot and killed in Fairfield one week earlier. During that gathering, gunfire erupted just before 11:30 p.m. Saturday at an apartment in the Tuxedo Terrace complex off 20th Street.
When officers from the West Precinct arrived, they found Arrington and Allen dead at the scene, along with a wounded woman identified as the suspect’s sister. Police said her injuries were not life-threatening and she was taken to UAB Hospital for treatment. Investigators said multiple family members were inside the apartment when the shooting happened and that the number of shots fired was in the double digits.
Arrest and possible charges
Authorities said a 26-year-old woman—identified as Arrington’s niece and Allen’s great-niece—was arrested and is being held in the Birmingham City Jail. Officials said she is expected to face a capital murder charge involving two or more victims, though formal charges were pending at the time of the information provided.
Officer Truman Fitzgerald said preliminary evidence indicates that a family member fired shots into the apartment from outside the residence. Police said they had not confirmed what sparked the argument that led to the shooting, emphasizing that the family is closely connected.
Police response
The Birmingham Police Department’s Special Enforcement Team was deployed after the shooting. Investigators received information suggesting the suspect may have traveled toward Bessemer. Working with Bessemer police, authorities said they located and arrested the suspect at a residence in Bessemer roughly two hours after the shooting.
Officials noted that Birmingham’s homicide count for the year increased with the deaths of Arrington and Allen, marking the city’s 78th and 79th homicides of the year, according to the information provided.
Remembering the victims
Family members described Sonny Arrington as a devoted husband and father. A GoFundMe created to support his family described him as kind and compassionate, and stated he is survived by his wife, Candace, and seven children—two daughters and five sons—who are now facing grief and financial uncertainty.
Relatives said the gathering took place following the funeral of Ja’Oree Marquel Brown-Allen, whose death a week earlier had already brought the family together in mourning. The investigation into Saturday night’s shooting remains ongoing.
