A man has been charged with murder in connection with an Alabama shooting that left 4 dead

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — A man has been charged in connection with a mass shooting at a Birmingham, Alabama, nightclub last month, killing four people and injuring more than a dozen, police said Wednesday.

Damien McDaniel, 22, was arrested and charged with murder in connection with the Sept. 21 shooting at the Five Points South entertainment district, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said. McDaniel is also charged with 17 counts of attempted murder in the wounded, the police chief said. Available court records do not indicate whether McDaniel has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.

“Today was a big step toward justice,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement.

When asked at a news conference if more arrests were expected, Thurmond said he could only say the investigation was ongoing. Police earlier said several gunmen opened fire on a crowd waiting in line outside an entertainment venue. Investigators are still looking into the possibility that someone targeted one of the victims, the police chief said. He declined to discuss a possible motive.

McDaniel also faces charges in connection with two other fatal shootings that occurred over a three-day period in the city in September. Three other people were also charged in one of those shootings.

“This is just one step forward. There is much more to come in these investigations as we prepare for court,” Thurmond said.

The September 21 shooting in the bustling Five Points South neighborhood unnerved the neighborhood and put the city in the national spotlight.

Anitra Holloman, 21, of the Birmingham suburb of Bessemer; Tahj Booker, 27, of Birmingham; Carlos McCain, 27, of Birmingham; and Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26, of Birmingham were killed in the shooting.