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A young Birmingham man died this morning, two days after he was shot multiple times.

The Jefferson County Coroner's Office identified the victim as Michael Adryen Pace. Pace was 22.

The shooting happened about 11:51 p.m. Sunday in the 4400 block of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard North. Police arrived on the scene and found Pace suffering from multiple gunshot wounds.

Pace was taken to UAB Hospital, where he remained in the Intensive Care Unit until he died at 1:54 a.m. today. No additional information about the case was immediately available, but Pace is the city's 31st homicide victim this year. Several of those slayings have already been ruled justifiable, and more justifiable rulings could follow.

Another shooting death Sunday night brought the total number of homicides this year to 30, double that of the same time period last year. At this time last year, there were 15 homicides.

Birmingham police Chief A.C. Roper addressed the 100 percent increase with AL.com. "Last year was a miraculously low year because the city experienced no criminal homicides in January or February of 2014. It was an excellent start for the first quarter and set the foundation for the lowest homicide total in approximately 50 years,'' he said. "This year has really been challenging thus far as we're significantly higher than 2014 but tracking pretty close with 2013. "

Birmingham ended 2014 with a drop in homicides, just short of tying with 2011 for the lowest number of killings since 1966. The city finished the year with 59 homicides, down seven over 2013. There were 72 in 2012, 57 in 2011, 62 in 2010, 71 in 2009, 88 in 2008, 93 in 2007, 109 in 2006 and 105 in 2005.

The city's highest homicide tally in recent history was 141 in 1991. There were 56 victims slain in 1966.

In all of Jefferson County, there were 88 homicides in 2014 including Birmingham, compared to 96 countywide in 2013.

Birmingham's first homicide of 2015 happened just a week into the new year when 2-year-old Jaremiah Mason Hayes, 2, died at Children's of Alabama. The Ensley boy's stepfather and step grandmother drove him to the hospital midday with undisclosed injuries. Mason first was taken to Princeton Baptist Medical Center just before 1:30 p.m. Authorities said they received a call later that evening from Children's saying the boy had been pronounced dead at 7:19 p.m. Jan. 6.

The city's homicide numbers took a big hit last week when three men were found slain inside a Birmingham home May 4. Willie Cornelius Washington, 35, Johnny Kordara Griffin, 24 and Korde Lorodius Turner, 24 all died inside the home at 457 3rd Street North after being shot execution-style.

One of the men was found dead on the floor just inside the front door where it appears he had been sleeping prior to his death. He was lying on a pillow with a blanket on top of him. The other two victims were found on the couches. Police believe they knew and were comfortable with their killer or killers.

Just this past weekend, three homicide victims were killed within a 24-hour period.

Vanderick Lavorne Thomas, 28, was found shot to death Sunday night when Birmingham police were called to the apartment at 303 6th Street S.W. about 7:20 p.m. When they arrived on the scene, they found the victim dead from a gunshot wound on the kitchen floor. He had been shot multiple times in the chest. Police said Thomas got into an altercation with another male over gambling. Shortly after the incident, a man showed up at UAB Hospital suffering from gunshot wounds to both his arm and leg. Authorities believe that man is the person who had been arguing with Thomas, he said. He was under police guard at the hospital.

On Saturday, North Precinct officers were called to a home in the 2600 block of 19th Avenue North at 9:07 p.m. on a report of a person shot. When they arrived on the scene, they found James Tevarus Williams, 32, outside on the front porch suffering from gunshot wounds. Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced the victim dead on the scene.

Investigators learned Williams got into an intense argument with another man over drugs. Williams tried to pull out a gun and the suspect then pulled out his gun. The suspect shot Williams multiple times and fled before officers arrived. Police have not announced an arrest in the case.

"The bottom line is we still have too many young African American men killing other young African American men over small issues. It's not a problem of stranger-involved homicides but relationships and risky activities,'' Roper said. "In their world, a disagreement or disrespect is worth pulling a trigger and taking someone's life. That split second decision has long term consequences for the families and our communities."

"We've seen it in the past where the first half of a given year might run higher than the previous year but the number of incidents slowed considerably in the second half,'' he said. "The city has trended in the right direction over recent years so as a department we have to keep working at it in coordination with our law enforcement and community partners."