From Tribune staff reports
BIRMINGHAM, Ala.–The Jefferson County Coroner/Medical Examiner’s Office released the identity of a a woman who was killed in a shooting near Avondale Park earlier this week.
34-year-old Dianisleidy Rodriguez Hernandez, whose place of residence was listed as Cuba, was shot and killed on Wednesday at an apartment complex at the 4200 block of 5th Avenue South.
The location is near Avondale Park and the busy Avondale business district.
It is also just two blocks from the scene of an armed robbery attempt and shooting that left three men wounded and one man dead on June 21.
According to BPD Officer Truman Fitzgerald, officers responded to a call of a person shot around 4:40 p.m. on July 3.
When they arrived, they found Hernandez lying unresponsive near an apartment suffering from a gunshot wound.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel pronounced the woman dead on the scene.
Fitzgerald said someone was detained at the scene and that police planned to obtain a search warrant to gain access to the nearby apartment.
Johnny Ray Sears
On Friday, police announced that Johnny Ray Sears, 44, had been charged in the murder of Hernandez.
He is currently being held in the Jefferson County Jail with no bail.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has been shuffling top command in the Birmingham Police department while homicides in 2024 are well ahead of the 2023 pace.
Woodfin also released a statement on Friday addressing the recent uptick in homicides.
