By Agencies
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Authorities are still searching for suspects after a mass shooting on Saturday night left four people dead and 17 others injured outside a popular nightlife spot in Birmingham.
The incident, described by police as a targeted attack involving multiple shooters, has left the community shaken and authorities determined to apprehend those responsible.
The shooting took place in the Five Points South district, a vibrant area known for its restaurants and bars, which is typically busy on weekend nights. The violence has left the city grappling with the aftermath, with both local leaders and residents calling for solutions to the city’s persistent issue with gun violence.
“We Have to Get Them Off Our Streets”
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin expressed his determination to bring the perpetrators to justice, emphasizing that finding the suspects is the city’s top priority.
“The priority is to find these shooters and get them off our streets,” Woodfin said during a press briefing on Sunday.
He is expected to provide additional updates during a news conference on Monday morning.
The incident occurred on the sidewalk and street outside Hush, a lounge located in the Five Points South district. On Sunday morning, bloodstains remained visible on the pavement, marking the tragic scene where gunfire erupted the previous night.
A Targeted “Hit”
Police Chief Scott Thurmond revealed that the attack appeared to have been aimed at one of the individuals killed, suggesting that it may have been a murder-for-hire. According to Thurmond, a vehicle approached the location, and multiple shooters exited and began firing before fleeing the scene.
“We believe there was a ‘hit,’ if you will, on that particular person,” Thurmond said, adding that police recovered around 100 shell casings from the scene.
Law enforcement is working to determine the types of weapons used in the attack, but some of the gunfire is believed to have come from fully automatic firearms. Authorities are also investigating whether there was any crossfire, possibly from other individuals returning fire during the incident.
In a statement issued late Sunday, Birmingham police suggested that the shooters used machine gun conversion devices that allow semi-automatic weapons to fire at a much faster rate.
Victims Identified, Some Critically Injured
Officers responding to the scene found two men and a woman with gunshot wounds lying on the sidewalk. They were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth victim, a male, succumbed to his injuries at a local hospital.
The victims have been identified as 21-year-old Anitra Holloman of Bessemer, 27-year-old Tahj Booker of Birmingham, and 27-year-old Carlos McCain, also of Birmingham. The identity of the fourth victim is pending confirmation.
Throughout the early hours of Sunday, additional victims arrived at hospitals, bringing the total number of those injured to 17. Several of the injured remain in critical condition. Four of the survivors, with injuries ranging from stable to life-threatening, are being treated at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson.
Community Rattled by Gun Violence
The Five Points South area is a popular destination for young adults, particularly due to its proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The shooting is the latest in a troubling pattern of violence that has plagued the city.
This incident marks the 31st mass killing in the United States in 2024, with 23 of those cases involving firearms, according to criminologist James Alan Fox, a professor at Northeastern University who oversees a database of mass killings in collaboration with The Associated Press and USA Today.
Birmingham has been the site of three mass shootings this year, including two earlier cases of quadruple homicides.
A Second Shooting on Sunday: Is There a Connection?
Just a day after the mass shooting, police responded to another shooting in Birmingham on Sunday night, which left one person dead and two others injured. Authorities are investigating whether this second incident is connected to the previous night’s violence, according to a report by AL.com.
A man and a woman were found unresponsive and transported to a local hospital, where the man later died from his injuries. The woman remains in critical condition. A third gunshot victim arrived at the hospital in a private vehicle, and police are working to determine if they were involved in the same shooting.
A Call for Action
Mayor Woodfin did not mince words when addressing the issue of gun violence in Birmingham and the broader United States. He described the ongoing violence as a crisis that has reached epidemic levels, both nationally and within the city.
“We find ourselves in 2024, where gun violence is at an epidemic level, an epidemic crisis in our country. And the city of Birmingham, unfortunately, finds itself at the tip of that spear,” Woodfin said, voicing frustration with the challenges his city faces in addressing the surge in violent crimes.
As the investigation continues, authorities are urging anyone with information about the shooters to come forward, hoping that public cooperation can help bring those responsible to justice and prevent future tragedies in Birmingham.
