In 1933, the city set a record for homicides with 148 violent deaths. At the rate Birmingham has gone in 2024, a year that has seen three quadruple homicides in seven months, the city could easily have 27 or more homicides before Jan. 1, 2025. That would break that 91-year-old record.

Hayes played a role in keeping the community close when the mass shooting hit his small town. He held vigils, accepted assistance near and far, and stayed present in the lives of