Moriah Marquez Obituary, Death -On Wednesday morning, her mother was critically injured in a shooting. Moriah Quib-Marquez was identified as the slain girl by Birmingham police late Wednesday. She was 14 years old and went to Ossie Ware Mitchell Middle School. Moriah is one of 16 people under the age of 18 who have been killed in the city this year.
Birmingham City Schools Superintendent Mark Sullivan expressed his heartfelt condolences for the tragic loss. “Our hearts go out to her family, classmates, and teachers; we assisted the school today and will continue to offer counseling and support during this difficult time.”
According to Chief Truman Fitzgerald, a man was arrested in the 7800 block of Sixth Avenue North after detectives canvassed the area and identified him as a possible suspect.
According to police, he is being held in Birmingham City Jail on capital murder charges, and his name will be held until formal arrest warrants are issued. In a tweet on Wednesday, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said, “Imagine getting your child ready for school on a typical Wednesday morning and sending her off, hoping she’s one step closer to realizing her full potential.”
“Now imagine that child, a lovely 14-year-old girl, having her life cut short by bullets minutes later.”
According to Fitzgerald, officers from the East Precinct were called to the scene after receiving multiple Shot Spotter alerts, and when they arrived, they discovered an SUV had crashed into a utility pole.
Moriah was declared dead at the scene.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service transported her mother, whose name has not been released, to UAB Hospital with life-threatening injuries.”I’m heartbroken – and equally enraged – that another child in our community has died as a result of a stranger’s reckless actions,” Woodfin tweeted. “It’s not fair to this young girl’s family, classmates, or the community that cares about her.”
Fitzgerald stated that the SUV did not injure any other adults or children under the age of three. Fitzgerald claims there were at least 20 shots fired. Ed Finton, a 40-year area resident, witnessed the ordeal. “I awoke to gunshots,” Finton said. “My dog has gone completely insane.” “I saw a guy with a long gun standing in the middle of 80th Street just randomly shooting,” he said. “I called 911 when I saw that; all I knew was that the SUV had collided with a pole.”
“It breaks my heart that this happened to a young girl,” he said. “The crime caused by blight is simply ridiculous,” Finton, a North East Lake Neighborhood Association member, said. “There’s no backing from City Hall.” Moriah is the 129th homicide in Birmingham this year, with seven of them deemed justifiable and thus not criminal.
There have been 173 homicides in Jefferson County, including 129 in Birmingham. There have been no arrests reported. Anyone with information is asked to contact homicide detectives in Birmingham at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
