A mass shooting in Birmingham’s Five Points South neighborhood late Saturday night left at least four people dead and dozens injured.
Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said police were called to the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue South just after 11 p.m. for a shots fired call.
“We believe that multiple shooters fired multiple shots on a group of people in the [area],” Fitzgerald told media at a briefing early Sunday.
No one is in custody, and police are working to determine if the shooting took place as a drive-by, or if the shooters were on foot. Fitzgerald said it’s possible a switch — a small device that can convert a semi-automatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon — was used in the shooting.
Initial reports on social media said the shooting possibly took place at a nearby nightclub, but Fitzgerald said police were told all the victims were out in the open — either on the sidewalk or in the street.
“We were not told this happened in any businesses,” he said.
At the scene, police found two men and a woman who were shot and unresponsive. They were later pronounced dead at the scene.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Services transported eight victims from the scene to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital for gunshot wounds. One of the victims, Fitzgerald said, died at the hospital, and at least four others are facing life-threatening injuries.
Multiple gunshot victims also arrived at various hospitals around the city on their own seeking treatment, but Fitzgerald did not give an official tally.
“When you lock into a number, that number typically changes,” he said. “We’re not going to lock into a number right now, but when we finalize that, we will notify media.”
Birmingham’s homicide total for 2024 is at 122, including Saturday night’s four deaths, according to AL.com.
“These mass shootings have more to do with culture than they do criminality,’’ Fitzgerald said. “Mayor Randall Woodfin said it best this week — we’re seeing far too many arguments being settled by bullets and I think this speaks to exactly what our mayor recently said.”
The Birmingham Police Department is working on its investigation with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. BPD asks that any businesses in the area with surveillance cameras contact police if they captured footage of the shooting. Witnesses are also encouraged to call Crimestoppers at 205-254-7777 with any information.
