At least four people were killed, more than a dozen injured and a search was launched in Birmingham, Alabama, on Sunday after a shooting in a busy entertainment district on Saturday night.
Officer Truman Fitzgerald said two men and a woman died at the scene and a fourth died a short time later at a local hospital. Emergency responders took some of the injured to hospitals, while others arrived on their own at hospitals across the city, he said.
Fitzgerald said it appeared multiple gunmen fired into a crowd, but it was not clear if they were on foot or in cars. He said the shots were not random and officers were trying to determine who the target was. No suspects have been arrested.
“Rest assured that 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,” he said.
Fitzgerald urged anyone who was in the Five Points South area at the time of the shooting to give police any information they have. Information leading to an arrest could bring a reward of up to $5,000, he said.
“There is no greater resource than the public. … If you were here, if you saw something, if you heard something, please come forward.”
Police said the ATF and FBI were called in to assist in the investigation.
“These mass shootings have more to do with culture than crime,” Fitzgerald said. “We see far too many confrontations decided by bullets.”
Dajon Singleton told WBMA-TV he was driving into the area when he saw the emergency response and chaos in the streets, with people running and screaming. He saw five or six people being taken away on stretchers, he said.
“Very devastating, sad,” he said. “These mournful cries. … I knew immediately that someone had lost a loved one.”
