BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) – Four people were killed and 17 others were injured when multiple gunmen opened fire Saturday in what police described as a targeted “hit” on one of the people killed at a popular nightlife spot in Birmingham, Alabama.
The shooting happened shortly after 11 p.m. on Saturday in Five Points South, a neighborhood full of entertainment venues, restaurants and bars that is often busy on weekend evenings. The mass shooting, one of several in the city this year, unnerved area residents and left city officials pleading for help to both solve the crime and address 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 news conference on Sunday.
The shooting took place outside Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge, in the entertainment district. On Sunday morning, bloodstains were visible on the sidewalk outside the venue.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said authorities believe the shooting targeted one of the people killed, possibly in a murder-for-hire. He said a vehicle pulled up and “several gunmen” got out, started shooting and then fled the scene.
“We believe there was a ‘hit,’ if you will, on that specific person,” Thurmond said.
According to police, approximately a hundred bullet casings were found at the scene. Thurmond said police were working to determine what weapons were used, but they believe some of the gunfire was “fully automatic.” Investigators also tried to determine if anyone fired back, causing crossfire.
Police said officers found two men and a woman with gunshot wounds on a sidewalk and they were pronounced dead. An additional male gunshot victim was pronounced dead at a hospital, according to police.
By early Sunday, after victims began reporting to hospitals, police had identified 17 people with injuries, some of them life-threatening.
The Birmingham area is popular with young adults due to its proximity to the University of Alabama at Birmingham and the abundance of nearby 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 burst of rapid bangs that he said sounded like automatic gunfire.
“I heard it, looked out my window and immediately saw people screaming, fleeing the scene,” Boshell said.
The shooting in the bustling and popular area was unnerving, he said. ‘I’m not sure if scared is the right word. I just found it very disturbing that it happened right outside where you live.”
Ashton Mills, 24, who lives in a nearby apartment complex, was on her way to work Saturday night when she heard a “bunch of popping noises.”
“It’s scary, especially as a single woman walking around town,” she said. “I’m definitely a lot more on guard.”
Woodfin expressed frustration over what he described as an epidemic of gun violence in America.
“We are in 2024, where gun violence is at epidemic levels, an epidemic crisis in our country. And the city of Birmingham is unfortunately at the tip of that spear,” he said.
Birmingham’s mayor also urged state and federal officials to give cities more tools to address gun violence. He put both hands behind his back to illustrate what it’s like for cities to fight crime. Alabama last year eliminated the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.
Woodfun said there is an “element” in the city that is too comfortable carrying Glock switches — which convert semi-automatic pistols to deliver faster fire — and assault-style rifles with the intent to cause damage.
“Elected officials at the local, state and national levels have an obligation to solve this American crisis, this American epidemic of gun violence,” the mayor said.
This story has been corrected to reduce the number of injuries from 18 to 17, based on changed information from police.
Associated Press writer Jonathan Mattise in Nashville, Tennessee contributed to this report.