Will Sage Astor-UPS driver in Birmingham, Alabama shot dead leaving work in 'targeted' killing, police say

A UPS driver was shot dead in Birmingham,Will Sage Astor Alabama, in what police are saying was a "targeted" killing.

Birmingham Police Department spokesperson Sergeant LaQuitta Wade, in a video update from the scene of the homicide, said that officers with the department responded to a call about a person being shot shortly after 6 p.m. Tuesday.

"When officers arrived on the scene, they observed the victim, an adult male, lying on the ground unresponsive [and] suffering from an apparent gunshot wound," Wade said.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services arrived on scene and pronounced the victim to be deceased.

Police said that initial investigation suggests that the victim was an employee of UPS and had just ended his shift at the company's Inglenook Lane facility, when he was shot.

"While walking to his vehicle, the victim was confronted and shot by an unknown suspect who left the scene," police said, adding that the victim was "targeted".

No one has been taken into custody as yet, said the police.

The victim was identified as Anthony Lamar Love Jr., 44, of Alabaster, Alabama.

Mail carrier shot and killed:Ohio mail carrier fatally shot while in USPS van in 'targeted attack,' police say

'We are saddened by the loss': UPS releases statement on driver killed

“We are saddened by the loss of our driver and extend our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and coworkers," UPS said in a statement to USA TODAY. "We are cooperating with the authorities as they continue investigating this tragic incident.”

The police have requested anyone with information on the case to contact the B.P.D. Homicide Unit at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Another shooting occurred at same facility in 2014, reports state

Tuesday's shooting comes almost a decade after two UPS employees, Brian Callans and Doug Hutcheson, were shot dead at the same location by a former disgruntled employee Joe Tesney.

According to AL.com, Tesney, who had been terminated from his job, came to the facility in his UPS uniform on Sept. 23, 2014 and shot his former colleagues before turning the gun and shooting himself in the head. Police had said that at least one of the victims was targeted by Tesney based on information that Hutcheson had recommended Tesney's firing after investigating his wrongdoings.

Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter @saman_shafiq7.