Tacorya Najuan Love, a 33-year-old mother of two, is remembered by her family for the love she left behind. A Black woman from Birmingham, Alabama, she was a daughter, sister, and devoted mother to her children, Brooklyn and Braylen Love. Her life was tragically cut short, leaving a void in a family that included her father, Clarence Love, her grandfather, and two sisters, Jameca and Annesha Love. She was preceded in death by her mother, Delores. Her loved ones laid her to rest at Oakland Memorial Cemetery on July 26, 2017, just over a week after her life was violently taken.
The final hours of Tacorya’s life unfolded with heartbreaking cruelty on the morning of Monday, July 17, 2017. In the city’s East Lake neighborhood, she was shot and mortally wounded. Authorities with the Birmingham Police Department and the Jefferson County Coroner’s Office pieced together a desperate timeline suggesting that after being injured, Tacorya did not immediately succumb to her wounds. Instead, she fought to survive, attempting to find help. Investigators believe she was wounded in the area of the 8400 block of 6th Avenue North and then struggled onward, trying to reach someone who could save her. Her effort ended in a grassy area in the 8300 block of 5th Avenue North, where she collapsed. It was there that she was found by passersby just after 8 a.m. Despite the hope for a different outcome, she was pronounced dead from her injuries.
The investigation into her killing was launched immediately by the Birmingham Police Department. Detectives processed the scene and canvassed the neighborhood for witnesses and evidence, but the case proved difficult from the start. In the days and weeks that followed, no suspects were publicly identified, and no arrests were announced. The motive behind the shooting remained elusive, leaving both the community and Tacorya’s grieving family without answers. The initial flurry of activity gave way to a prolonged and frustrating silence.
As years passed, Tacorya Love’s case transitioned from an active investigation to a cold case. Her name began to appear on lists of Birmingham's unsolved homicides, a somber roll call of lives taken without resolution or justice. For her children and family, the lack of closure has been an enduring pain. The public record of the investigation offers no indication of a person of interest ever being named or a breakthrough in the search for the person responsible for her death. The case remains open, a testament to the devastating impact of gun violence and the lingering questions that haunt families for years.
The East Lake community, where Tacorya spent her final moments, is a neighborhood in the eastern section of Birmingham. Like many urban areas, it has contended with its share of violent crime, and each unsolved case leaves a scar on the community fabric. The story of a woman dying alone while desperately seeking help is a particularly painful one, highlighting a profound sense of vulnerability and loss.
As of today, the murder of Tacorya Love remains unsolved. The Birmingham Police Department continues to hold the case file, awaiting the new information that could finally lead to an arrest and provide long-overdue answers to her family. The central questions of who shot Tacorya and why she was targeted on that summer morning are still unanswered. Her family continues to cherish her memory, holding onto the hope that one day, justice will be served for the woman they loved and lost so tragically.
