Huge manhunt underway after horror mass shooting rocked Birmingham with four killed and at least 18 injured during night of bloodshed in popular cigar lounge
A major manhunt is underway as police search for those responsible for the mass shooting that left four people dead in Alabama last night.
Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday night, shots were fired in the Five Points South entertainment district, just outside the Hush hookah and cigar lounge in Birmingham, injuring at least 18 people.
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 at the hospital.
Police suspect multiple gunmen are responsible for the horrific mass shooting, but no suspects had been arrested as of Sunday morning.
It is believed that this was not a random shooting but an isolated incident with multiple victims caught in the crossfire.
Another 18 shooting victims were identified and treated at local hospitals
According to Birmingham police Officer Truman Fitzgerald (pictured), the shooter either walked toward or drove past the victims.
Birmingham Police vehicles near the scene where multiple people were shot Saturday night
Detectives are investigating whether the shooters, who are still at large, walked toward the victims or drove past them, Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.
βRest assured, we will do everything we can to find, identify and prosecute those responsible for the exploitation of our people,β Fitzgerald added.
Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to contact the Birmingham Police Department’s Homicide Unit directly at 205-254-1764.
An additional 18 shooting victims were identified, with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening, and were treated at local hospitals.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital is treating 11 of the victims, said Hannah Echols, a hospital spokesperson. CNN.
“There are dozens of shooting victims in this area,” Fitzgerald said. “I’ve heard that at least four of those victims have life-threatening injuries, the others have multiple injuries.”
Streets in the area have been closed off while police investigate the incident.
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as police worked to contain the area and help victims
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 victim died at the hospital
Fitzgerald revealed that local authorities have asked the FBI and ATF for assistance.
Birmingham police have asked local businesses to provide any CCTV footage they may have, and have asked the public to contact them if they have any relevant information.
Five Points South is a popular nightlife area near the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.
Fitzgerald said the mass shootings “have more to do with culture than with criminality,” adding that “we see far too many arguments being settled with bullets.”
Witnesses described a chaotic scene as police worked to contain the area and help victims.
βI walked upstairs just as it was ending because everyone was screaming, there were people crying,β Dajon Singleton said WVTM.
Police believe Glock triggers were used in the shooting. These devices allow the shooter to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic when attached to the back of a Glock.
Gunfire rang out outside the Hush hookah and cigar lounge (pictured) in Birmingham as people waited to get in
Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue in the Five Points South area (pictured) near the University of Alabama
“Glock switches are the single greatest public safety problem in our city and state. While 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 to see Glock switches banned. Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that fires every round in a matter of seconds has no place on our domestic streets.”
The U.S. Attorney’s Office and the ATF have partnered with Birmingham’s police chief and mayor to launch “Operation Flip the Switch” β a program to get Glock switches off the streets, the agency reported. WVTM.
“Where we used to see a dozen or less casings at a crime scene, we’re now seeing 75 to 100 or even over 100 at a crime scene. And that’s because, as you’re going to see in a moment, these casings are being fired rapidly from these types of weapons,” said Police Chief Scott Thurmond.
“The damage that can be done very quickly by these weapons. As the ATF just said, there is no place for these things in our city, in our state, or in our country.”
According to the US government, there have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US this year. Gun Violence Archivewhich 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 were placed on lockdown after munitions were found on campus on September 5.
The lockdown followed the Apalachee massacre, which left four people dead and nine injured.
‘Glock switches’ (pictured) are modifications that convert handguns into fully automatic weapons
Students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39, were named as victims.
Suspected shooter Colt Gray, 14, has been charged with murder.
Three people were killed and at least 12 injured when a May Day celebration spiraled out of control in southwest Alabama.
Andre Reid of the Baldwin County Investigation Division said WALA-TV that on May 11, about 1,000 people were present at the celebration near Stockton when a scuffle broke out and gunfire rang out.
According to Reid, most of the victims were “younger people,” but no information was available on whether any arrests had been made.
“According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an altercation broke out, during which at least one of the suspects fired multiple shots into the large crowd,” Reid said.