According to authorities, there have been at least four fatalities and eighteen injuries from a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama.
According to Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald, “multiple shooters fired multiple shots on a group of people” late on Saturday in the city’s Five Points South neighborhood.
Two males and a woman were discovered dead at the scene by police, while a third man passed away in a hospital from gunshot wounds, according to Birmingham Police.
According to Mr. Fitzgerald, investigators are looking into whether the gunmen drove past or approached the victims. There are no suspects in custody.
“Not random and stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the crossfire,” he continued, expressing their belief that the shooting was.
Mr. Fitzgerald added that investigators are trying to determine who the intended target or targets of the attack were. The search for the gunmen is likewise a top priority.
In a statement, the police stated that they are collaborating with the FBI and other federal authorities, that they have launched an online portal for the submission of images and videos of the incident, and that they are offering a $5,000 prize for information.
The area of Five Points South is well-known for its vibrant nightlife. According to Mr. Fitzgerald, Magnolia Avenue is where the shooting happened.
Some of the gunfire sounded like it came from a gun that had been converted to fully automatic, according to witnesses who were waiting outside a hookah and cigar lounge on Magnolia Avenue at the time, according to local news site Al.com. Mr. Fitzgerald had informed reporters earlier on Sunday that there were “dozens of gunshot victims” following the event.
“Glock switches” are attachments that attach to pistols to cause them to discharge automatically. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said on social media on Sunday that these attachments “are the number one public safety issue in our city and state” in reference to the violence.
He stated that the state, not the city, has the authority to outlaw Glock switches. “Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that discharges all bullets within seconds doesn’t belong on our domestic streets,” he wrote.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an occurrence in which four or more people are injured or killed, there have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US so far this year.
