Police believe Birmingham mass shooting was a “paid, targeted” attack as a large-scale manhunt is underway

Four people were killed and at least 17 others injured in a mass shooting in Birmingham on the night of Saturday to Sunday. Police believe it was a “paid, targeted attack.”

The killers are still at large after the shooting in the Five Points South neighborhood, home to the University of Alabama campus and numerous bars and restaurants. Two men and a woman were found unconscious on the sidewalk and died at the scene, Birmingham police said.

The fourth victim, an adult man, later died at a local hospital.

Police say the shooters drove into the area in a car, got out and fired several shots at a group of people before fleeing the scene. Investigators believe the shooters were paid to kill a specific person, who Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said was among the four dead.

“Someone was willing to pay money to kill this person,” Thurmond said.

Investigators believe it is possible that the shooters used so-called “switches” that override the trigger of a firearm, allowing it to function as a machine gun.

Dozens of people were injured, including four people with life-threatening injuries. All of the injured were standing on the sidewalk or in the street, police said. One of the four dead was identified as Hannah Echols, a local hospital spokesperson told CNN.

It is still unclear how many shooters there were and what motivated the violence. Anyone who witnessed the shooting should contact police, said Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald. There is a $5,000 reward for any information that leads to an arrest.

“There is no greater resource than the public,” Fitzgerald said.

“If you were out here, if you saw or heard anything, please come forward.”

Witness Dajon Singleton told local station WVTM-13 that the scene was “very scary.”

“I didn't get there until it was just ending because everyone was screaming, there were people crying,” Singleton said.

“The grieving screams, as if I knew someone was hurt or had died,” he added. “That kind of thing. I knew immediately that someone had lost a deceased person.”

Police have asked local businesses for their surveillance footage. The FBI and ATF are assisting in the investigation.

“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we uncover, identify and bring to justice those responsible for the attacks on our people,” Fitzgerald said.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 400 mass shootings in the United States this year.

“These mass shootings have more to do with culture than crime,” Fitzgerald said. “We see far too many conflicts decided by bullets.”

The Independent has contacted Birmingham Police for further information.