A 37-year-old husband and father was shot to death Sunday morning outside a west Birmingham grocery store.

The shooting happened at 9:20 a.m. at M & N Groceries at the corner of 24th Street and Pearson Avenue. The victim - identified Sunday afternoon as Demetrius Davis - was pronounced dead on the scene after he collapsed just feet from the store.

Birmingham police Sgt. Bryan Shelton said the shooting doesn't appear to be random. "It appears the suspect walked up to him and shot him,'' Shelton said. "We don't have a motive yet."

Witnesses reported hearing multiple shots fired. "It just kept coming,'' said a nearby resident who didn't want her name used.

More than 100 people gathered at the crime scene, including the victim's wife, son and brother. The onlookers were visibly emotional and several fights broke out before police finally dispersed the crowd and cleared the nearby parking lots.

The shooting happened directly across the street from South Park Baptist Church, where services were taking place.

"The killer was pretty brazen,'' Shelton said. "And while most people are enjoying a quiet Sunday morning with their families, a family is dealing with the loss of a loved one in a violent manner."

At least two surveillance cameras were directed at the spot where the shooting happened, and investigators are hoping they were working and can provide crucial evidence.

The deadly shooting is Birmingham's 88th homicide this year. Of those, five have been ruled justifiable and will not be included by the Birmingham Police Department in its year-end tally. There have been 129 in all of Jefferson County this year, including the 88 in Birmingham.

"Our focus will be to bring the family justice,'' Shelton said, "and provide any peace we can."

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