From The Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM — Police here have reclassified an incident they investigated as a double murder into a justified death investigation.
Police originally arrested Jureil Dowdell, 19, and an unidentified 17-year-old man on murder and unattempted murder charges. Both suspects were being held in the Jefferson County Jail with no bond.
Police stated that an argument occurred outside of a business located at 9164 Parkway East near Tarrant, which led to exchange gunfire. As a result, Cornelius Ja’Shawn Hilliard, 21, and Reginald Curtis Crawford Jr., 26, were killed.
In connection to the shooting, a vehicle police were searching for was spotted by officers, and they attempted a traffic stop. The driver refused to pull over, and a chase ensued. The car crashed into a ravine near Tarrant-Huffman Road, at Linthicum Street in Tarrant.
The Birmingham Police Department has recorded 69 murders thus far in 2021 and 12 justifiable death investigations.
