Suspect charged in possible road rage shooting that killed 45-year-old man in front of grandson

A suspect has been charged in the shooting death of a 45-year-old man killed while driving with his young grandson on Birmingham’s busy Parkway East.

The deadly shooting, police said, appears to have stemmed from road rage.

Anson Evans, 29, of Center Point, is charged with capital murder in the Monday shooting death of Enrique Cortes Martinez. Cortes’s 5-year-old grandson was not harmed in the gunfire.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the community provided tips to police which were crucial in identifying Evans as a suspect.

Evans was taken into custody Thursday. Evans is being held without bond

Cortes was among five people killed in Birmingham between Monday and Wednesday. His death pushed Birmingham past the number of homicide in 2023, with more than a month to go.

“During this tragic time, the Birmingham Police Department is actively pursuing those accountable with unwavering dedication,’’ police said in a statement Thursday. “We stand committed to bringing justice to the victims and their families and holding those responsible accountable. Your assistance is essential in bringing them to justice swiftly.

Anson Evans is charged with capital murder in a road-rage shooting that killed a 45-year-old man in front of his grandson on a Birmingham road.(Birmingham Police Department"

Just before 8 a.m. Monday, East Precinct officers were dispatched to a person shot in the 200 block of Gadsden Highway, which is in front of CVS.

They arrived to find Cortes in 9300 block of Parkway East, slumped over the steering wheel of his truck.

Witnesses said Cortes had been shot once in the head. He was pronounced dead on the scene at 8:15 a.m.

Bystanders rushed to help the victim.

One woman, who didn’t want to give her name, said the man appears to have been able to stop the truck and put it in park before becoming unresponsive.

She said the man had a pulse when she first got to him but was unconscious. She started CPR but to no avail.

Other bystanders took the child to CVS.

A worker at CVS said the boy was anxious and upset. Witnesses said he began to cry as officers escorted him from the scene to the East Precinct to try and locate other family members.

He was soon reunited with his family.

Authorities said Cortes was driving on the Parkway when a separate vehicle pulled alongside him and someone fired shots into the truck.