4 dead, 17 injured in shooting in Birmingham, Alabama

Birmingham, Alabama – Four people were killed and 17 others injured when multiple gunmen opened fire Saturday in what police described as a targeted “hit” on one of the dead at a popular Birmingham, Alabama, nightspot.

The shooting occurred shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday in Five Points South, a neighborhood full of entertainment venues, restaurants and bars that is often crowded on weekends. The mass shooting, one of several in the city this year, rattled area residents and prompted city officials to ask for help in both solving the crime and addressing the broader problem of gun violence.

“The priority is to find these shooters and get them off our streets,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said at a press conference on Sunday.

The shooting occurred on the sidewalk and street in front of Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge in the entertainment district. Bloodstains were visible on the sidewalk in front of the establishment on Sunday morning.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said authorities believe the shooting was aimed at one of the people killed, possibly in a contract killing. He said a vehicle stopped and “multiple shooters” got out and opened fire, then fled the scene.

“We believe this person is a 'murder,'” Thurmond said.

Police said about 100 shell casings were found at the scene. Thurmond said police are working to determine what weapons were used, but they believe some of the shots were “fully automatic.” Investigators are also trying to determine if anyone fired back, causing crossfire.

According to police, officers found two men and a woman with gunshot wounds on a sidewalk and pronounced them dead there. Another male gunshot victim was pronounced dead at the hospital, according to police.

By early Sunday, when the first victims arrived at hospitals, police had identified 17 people with injuries, some of them life-threatening. Four of the surviving victims, whose conditions ranged from good to critical, were being treated at the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham on Sunday afternoon, according to Alicia Rohan, a UAB spokeswoman.

The Birmingham district is popular with young adults due to its proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and its variety of restaurants and bars.

Geoffrey Boshell, a 22-year-old biomedical engineering student who lives nearby, said he was working on a school project when he heard a series of rapid bangs that sounded like automatic gunfire.

“I heard it, looked out the window and immediately saw people screaming and running from the scene,” Boshell said.

The shooting in the busy and popular area was disturbing, he said. “I'm not sure fear is the right word. It just really bothers me that it happened right on your doorstep.”

Ashton Mills, 24, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, was on her way to work on Saturday night when she heard “a series of popping noises.”

“It's scary, especially as a single woman walking around the city,” she said. “I'm definitely a lot more cautious.”

Woodfin expressed his frustration with what he described as an epidemic of gun violence in America.

“We are in the year 2024, where gun violence has reached epidemic proportions, an epidemic crisis in our country. And the city of Birmingham is unfortunately at the forefront of that spearhead,” he said.

The Birmingham mayor also called on state and federal agencies to give cities more resources to combat gun violence. He put both hands behind his back to illustrate how cities are fighting crime. Alabama last year eliminated the permit requirement to carry a concealed handgun in public.

Woodfun said there is “an element” in the city that is too keen to carry Glock switches – which modify semi-automatic handguns to fire faster – and assault rifles to do damage.

“Elected officials at the local, state and national levels have a duty to solve this American crisis, this American epidemic of gun violence,” the mayor said.