A manhunt is currently in progress for several shooters responsible for the deaths of four individuals and injuries to 17 others in Birmingham, Alabama, according to police reports on Sunday.
Police Chief Scott Thurmond indicated that the assailants arrived in a vehicle, exited, and opened fire on a large crowd before fleeing the scene. In total, 21 people were shot, with four succumbing to their injuries.
Thurmond did not disclose any suspects but stated that the initial investigation suggested that the shooters may have been targeting a specific individual. “We believe there was a hit, if you will, on that particular person as far as someone willing to pay money to have that person killed,” Thurmond explained. This individual, who has not been named by authorities, was among those killed during the shooting.
The police chief noted that at least one fully automatic weapon was discharged during the incident, which is mostly illegal.
The shooting took place outside the Hush lounge located in Birmingham’s historic Five Points South nightlife district. Eyewitness accounts reported that the gunfire erupted while patrons were waiting in line to enter the venue. Hush owner Ryan Pryor, a former Birmingham Police officer who opened the lounge in 2019, expressed his devastation: “Unfortunately, some of my patrons who happened to be standing on the sidewalk were injured and killed.”
In a statement on Instagram, Hush extended its “heartfelt condolences” and expressed deep sadness over the tragedy, stating, “It is heartbreaking that a moment meant for gathering and community was shattered by such tragedy.”
Social media footage from the aftermath showed several individuals injured on the ground and people screaming as they awaited medical assistance. Officer Truman Fitzgerald highlighted that at least four of the wounded have life-threatening injuries.
Law enforcement arrived on the scene shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, where they discovered two adult males and one adult female unresponsive on the ground due to gunshot wounds. They were pronounced dead at the scene, while a fourth victim later died at UAB Hospital, which treated 12 individuals for their injuries.
“No one is in custody at this point,” Fitzgerald stated. “Rest assured, we are going to do everything we possibly can to uncover, identify and hunt down whoever is responsible for preying on our people.”
Earlier on Sunday, Birmingham police released a statement noting that “multiple victims were caught in the crossfire.” Chief Thurmond confirmed they were investigating whether any individuals returned fire during the incident.
Evidence collected at the scene included multiple shell casings, and both the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the FBI are involved in the investigation. Thurmond encouraged anyone with information to come forward and reassured the public about the possibility of submitting tips anonymously. Additionally, police are requesting businesses in the area with security cameras to review their footage for relevant information.
This incident marks the second mass shooting in Birmingham this year, following a July incident in which four people were killed at a nightclub.
Mayor Randall Woodfin called for urgent action, recalling a significant reduction in gun violence following the 1994 federal ban on assault weapons, which expired a decade later. He emphasized the recent increase in violent crime since the expiration of the ban and the changing nature of firearm-related offenses.
“Do not tell me this is not solvable. At the same time, do not tell me this is only the police’s responsibility to solve,” Woodfin remarked. “Elected officials — locally, statewide, and nationally — have a duty to address this American crisis, this epidemic of gun violence.”