Police believe the mass shooting that killed four people in Alabama overnight was a targeted hit gone wrong – as the continue to search for the culprits.
Gunfire erupted in the Five Points South entertainment district outside Hush hookah and cigar lounge in Birmingham just after 11pm on Saturday night – injuring at least 18 others.
Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, near the University of Alabama, while a fourth male victim died in hospital.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond told CNN they believe the shooting was the result of a targeted hit.
‘Someone was willing to pay money to have that person killed,’ Thurmond said.
Police believe multiple gunmen responsible for the horrific mass shooting – but no suspects have been arrested as of Sunday morning.
It is believed the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the crossfire.
Thurman said multiple people drove up to the scene, exited their vehicle and began shooting, then drove away.
‘Rest assured, we are going to do everything we possibly can to uncover, identify and hunt down whoever was responsible for preying on our people,’ Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Birmingham Police Department Homicide Division directly at 205-254-1764.
An additional 18 gunshot victims with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening were identified and treated at local hospitals.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, Hannah Echols, a hospital spokesperson told CNN.
‘We have dozens of gunshot victims from this area,’ Fitzgerald said. ‘I’m told at least four of those gunshot victims are life-threatening, the others have various injuries.’
Streets have been blocked off in the surrounding area as police continue their investigation into the incident.
Fitzgerald revealed that local authorities have reached out to the FBI and ATF for assistance.
Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the local area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.
Five Points South is a popular area known for its nightlife venues near the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus.
Fitzgerald said the mass shootings ‘have more to do with culture than they do criminality,’ adding that ‘we’re seeing far too many arguments being settled by bullets.’
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as police worked to contain the area and aide victims.
‘I walked up when it was just ending, because everybody was screaming, there was people crying,’ Dajon Singleton told WVTM.
Police believe Glock switches were used in the shooting. These devices give the ability to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic when attached to the back of a Glock.
‘Glock switches are the number one public safety issue in our city and State. Though illegal under federal law, there is no state law that makes Glock switches illegal,’ Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday.
‘Every Mayor, Police Chief, Sheriff, and District Attorney I know wants Glock switches outlawed. Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that discharges all bullets within seconds doesn’t belong on our domestic streets.’
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the ATF partnered with Birmingham’s police chief and mayor to launch ‘Operation Flip the Switch’ – a program to get Glock switches off the streets, reported WVTM.
‘Where we used to see a dozen or less shell casings on the scene, we’re seeing 75 to 100 or even more than 100 on a crime scene, because, as you’ll see after, shortly how quickly these rounds are fired from these weapons,’ Chief Scott Thurmond.
‘There’s a lot of damage that can be done very quickly because of these weapons. As the ATF just said, there’s no place for these things in our city or in our state or our country.’
There have been more than 400 mass shootings across the US this year, according to Gun Violence Archive, which defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.
Enterprise High School and Enterprise Career & Technology Center in Alabama was placed on lockdown after ammunition was found on campus on September 5.
The lockdown followed the bloodbath at Apalachee which left an additional nine people injured alongside the four fatalities.
Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14 and teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39, were named as the victims.
Suspected gunman Colt Gray, 14, has been charged with murder.
Three people were killed and at least 12 were left injured in southwest Alabama after a May Day party turned violent.
Andre Reid with the Baldwin County Investigation Division told WALA-TV that about 1,000 people were attending the celebration near Stockton on May 11 when an altercation started and gunfire erupted.
Reid said most of the victims were ‘younger people’ but there was no immediate information available on whether any arrests had been made.
‘According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an argument took place, which led to at least one subject shooting multiple rounds into the large crowd,’ said Reid.
