A midday shootout on busy Oporto-Madrid Boulevard left one man dead.

The shooting happened before 1 p.m. East Precinct officers said their initial information was that there was an exchange of gunfire between a car and an SUV traveling southbound on Oporto-Madrid. A man driving a white sedan was shot, crashed into another SUV and then came to a stop directly in front of the Interstate 20 exit and entrance ramps.

A Birmingham police officer directing traffic for a nearby water-main break was just yards away when the gunfire erupted. She was not injured and quickly rushed to the shooting victim, calling for medics to “step it up.”

The male shooting victim was taken to UAB Hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival.

The suspect fled the scene. The woman whose vehicle was struck by the shooting victim was taken to the hospital to be checked out.

The large crime scene shut down a portion of Oporto-Madrid. Motorists exiting I-20 were being routed back on to the interstate.

Birmingham police spokesman Sgt. Johnny Williams said they believe the victim was injured near the intersection of East Ridge Drive and Oporto-Madrid. “We are trying to determine what happened,” Williams said. “We don’t know how long this had been going on.”

The man’s death is Birmingham’s 91st homicide of this year. Of those, five have been rule justifiable and therefore will not be included by the Birmingham Police Department in its year-end tally. In all of Jefferson County there have been 134 homicides, including the 91 in Birmingham.

Anyone with information is asked to call Birmingham homicide detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.