Tuberville calls for maximum sentences in Magic City Classic shootings: ‘Criminals will fear the consequences of hurting Alabamians’

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November 2, 2026

Magic City Classic shootings Tuberville — (ABC 7/Screenshot, Hadrian/Contributed, YHN)

U.S. Senator Tommy Tuberville (R-Auburn), the Republican nominee for governor, issued a statement over the weekend on the shootings that followed Saturday’s Magic City Classic in Birmingham.

“Suzanne and I are praying for everyone involved in this tragic shooting,” Tuberville said. “When I’m Governor, I will be in constant communication with the city, county, and state law enforcement while partnering with federal authorities to identify these criminals and put them away for the maximum sentence.”

“Judges & prosecutors will be held accountable to keep these criminals from walking in the front door and out the back,” he said. “Criminals will fear the consequences of hurting Alabamians or the people coddling those criminals will.”

One teenager was killed and eight others were injured in two shootings near Legion Field on Saturday night, hours after Alabama A&M defeated Alabama State 31-28 in the annual rivalry game.

The first shooting happened around 8 p.m. in the tailgate area outside the stadium and left six people wounded. Less than eight minutes later, three more people were shot across the street along Graymont Avenue.

Dre’Shawn Thomas, a 2026 graduate of Parker High School, was pronounced dead at the scene. One victim remains in critical condition.

Birmingham police have a 17-year-old in custody who was found with a firearm fitted with a Glock conversion switch, a device that turns a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon. No charges have been announced, and police have not said whether the two shootings were connected.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, FBI Birmingham and the U.S. Attorney’s Office assisted Birmingham police in the response.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called the violence “senseless,” and Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett praised officers who ran toward the gunfire to reach victims.

Tuberville faces Democrat Doug Jones in Tuesday’s general election. Polls open at 7 a.m.

Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.