One year after deadly shooting at Fire Station 9, Birmingham police looking at several persons of interest
Video below: Watch the full news conference
It's been one year since an unknown gunman walked through the open bay door of the Norwood neighborhood's Fire Station 9 and opened fire, seriously wounding firefighter Jamal Jones and fatally injuring firefighter Jordan Melton.
One the one year mark, the Birmingham Police Department announced they are looking into several persons of interest in the unsolved case.
鈥淲e stand here before you in pain, we stand here before you frustrated, and we stand here before you sickened, because a year later, we still have no one in custody," Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said.
More than one person did the targeted attack, which was personal, but not because the two were firefighters, according to police. Any identifying information or motives were not released because of the investigation.
Officials also took the time to honor Melton's life and legacy.
鈥淛ordan gave his life to the career he loved and he gave his life to our beloved city,鈥� Woodfin said.
But how did we get here, and what exactly has happened over the last year to further the investigation?
July 2023
On Wednesday, July 12, 2023, firefighters Jordan Melton and Jamal Jones were doing routine morning maintenance at BFRS Station 9 on 27th Street North in the Norwood neighborhood, according to the Birmingham Police Department and Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service.
Around 8:30 a.m., a man entered the station through an open bay and opened fire, striking both Melton and Jones. Both firefighters were then rushed to UAB Hospital.
While police were able to reveal that the man who shot both firefighters had a personal conflict with one of them, they could not explain further and no one was taken into custody.
On July 17, five days after the shooting, Melton died from his injuries. He'd been with Birmingham Fire and Rescue for a little more than a year and recently graduated from the recruit academy.
"Jordan was a vibrant young brother who was full of life," said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin in a statement. He loved to talk sports as much as he loved a good barbecue. He had a brilliant mind for business, but he was always down to lighten the mood with a joke or two. He was also a wonderful son to his mother, who has been his rock in these difficult past few days."
>> 'Everybody loved him': Community pays tribute to Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton
"I ask that you join me in wrapping our arms around Jordan's family today. They've lost a son, a brother, a friend, and colleague. Know that we're exhausting every resource to find answers and justice for Jordan's loved ones."
On Tuesday, July 25, Melton's family and friends gathered at Smith & Gaston Chapel to pay their respects. His funeral was held the following day at 12:17 p.m., the exact time of day he was born.
>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton laid to rest Wednesday
"He was just, he was sweet," family friend Kyoka Allen said. "He was kind, caring, smiled all the time. His mother, father, sisters, they loved him. Everybody loved him."
As the public paid their respects, community activists organized a prayer vigil outside of Fire Station 9. They prayed for justice in the case and an end to gun violence.
"So, I'm crying out to y'all," Apostle Wanda Stephen said. "Telling y'all, please stop the violence. If you know somebody who killed somebody, call in, so the parents can stop hurting. That's some of the pain you would take off of them."
August 2023
On Aug 11, Birmingham Fire Chief Cory Moon announced that firefighter Jamal Jones had been selected for promotion, sighting his embodiment of the department's mission to "provide excellence through service."
"We are truly proud of him (Jones) and we are thankful for his service to the city of Birmingham," Moon said. "Every member of the Birmingham Fire & Rescue Service stands with Sergeant Jones and we continue to pray for his recovery."
Jones returned home from the hospital just a few days before the promotion.
December 2023
On Dec. 21, Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama announced that the initial amount of reward money being offered for information that would lead to an arrest in the shooting had risen to $46,000.
February 2024
Following Melton's death, months went by without a serious update on the investigation.
Then, on Feb. 27, Birmingham Police announced they were investigating someone who they called a possible person of interest at the time. The announcement came just hours after Melton鈥檚 mother, Rochell Gaston Malone, expressed her frustration at the lack of development in her son鈥檚 case.
鈥淎fter eight months, I am told there still are no tips, no leads, no suspects,鈥� Gaston Malone said.
Gaston Malone describes grieving her son鈥檚 death and fighting for justice as frustrating.
鈥淲hy that is?鈥� she asked. 鈥淭hat would be a question for police 鈥� Birmingham Police Department.鈥�
米兰体育 13 asked Birmingham police to explain the reason for the delay in the investigation.
鈥淚nvestigations take time,鈥� Officer Turman Fitzgerald with the department responded, 鈥渁nd the length that investigations take to lead to arrest is not always on the effort or lack of effort by the detective. The detective is bound by the evidence and the leads that exist in the case.鈥�
Shortly after BPD's update, Gaston Malone sat down with 米兰体育 13's Guy Rawlings to discuss the lasting impact of her son's death.
>> 'Bringing purpose to pain': Firefighter Jordan Melton's mother honoring his legacy as murder investigation continues
"At first, I couldn't get angry because I was so hurt and devastated," Gaston Malone said. "I'm angry now. I know death is inevitable for all of us, but when another person takes another person's life, that's not the way it's supposed to be."
She used to keep in touch with the police, hoping for updates in the murder investigation 鈥� updates that never came.
"The updates were more the fact that just kind of letting me know who was involved in the case and that they're working diligently, but no real true facts as to, you know, who actually could be the culprit of, you know, who did this," she said. "So I'm still in a place of unknown."
To bring purpose to her pain, Gaston Malone held a safety summit in Jordan's name the day before what would've been his 30th birthday.
"It's called the Jordan E Milton Safety Summit. I'm doing it at the A.G. Gaston Boys and Girls Club," Gaston Malone said. "That was my grandfather, Jordan's great-great-great-grandfather. So I have a passion for those kids at the club."
April 2024
On April 11, the Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service honored Melton's sacrifice during its recruit school graduation at Boutwell Auditorium, handing out the first Jordan E. Melton Award, recognizing an outstanding recruit.
Melton's mother said the recognition was bittersweet.
"It just stirred up a lot of feelings of me wanting Jordan to be here. However, the joy of knowing that he's being memorialized in this way brings a smile to my heart," she said.
July 2024
On July 7, the Birmingham Police Department announced that it was planning to hold a press conference on July 12, exactly one year after the shooting.
米兰体育 13's Guy Rawlings once again sat down with Melton's mother just days before the press conference to get her take on the investigation one year later.
"Throughout this year, the communication has been very minimal, zero to none," she said. "Unless I reached out to them, and I kept receiving the same empty promise of 'we're going to keep you informed. We're going to contact you on a regular basis.'"
>> 'Zero to none': Firefighter Jordan Melton's mother on lack of police communication 1 year after deadly shooting
She says that hasn't been the case, but she's trying to be understanding.
"I felt that the Birmingham Police Department was responsible for at least offering some type of courtesy in regard to, 'Hey, we're still working. How are you doing? How are you coping?' I understand the shortage in, you know, laborers and employees. That is not a discount. That is not an excuse."
Malone plans to lead a special event to honor Jordan and other crime victims at Kelly Ingram Park starting at 6 p.m.