The person, or people, who carried out the Alabama mass shooting at the weekend may have been paid to kill, police said.
Multiple rounds of shots were fired in the popular Five Points South neighborhood in Birmingham, Alabama, at around 11 p.m. CST on Saturday. According to a report by CNN, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said on Sunday that it is believed “someone was willing to pay money” to have the intended target or targets killed. No arrests had been reported as of Monday morning.
Three of the deceased have been identified by law enforcement as Anitra Holloman, 21, Tahj Booker, 27, and Carlos McCain, 27, all from Alabama, and they died at the scene. A fourth man, who has not been publicly identified, died later at the University of Alabama Hospital. The other 17 victims who attended hospital, all suffering from gunshot wounds, have “injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening,” police said.
“We believe multiple suspects fired upon a large group of people who were outside in a public area in the 2000 Block of Magnolia Avenue South,” Birmingham Police Department Officer Truman Fitzgerald said in a statement on Sunday. “More than 100 shell casings were collected at the scene.”
The shooters are believed to have used conversion devices, sometimes known as “switches,” which override the trigger mechanism on a firearm so it can function as a machine gun. These switches “can convert semi-automatic pistols and rifles into fully automatic weapons in less than 60 seconds,” the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.
A file photo of a crime scene. Four people are confirmed to have died in the shooting on Saturday evening.
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Fitzgerald continued: “Detectives believe the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the crossfire.”
Randall Woodfin, Birmingham’s mayor, told CNN: “Our focus and our priority is literally the shooter or shooters who committed this heinous crime – to make sure we can take them off the street.”
In a statement posted on Facebook, Woodfin vowed justice and said his thoughts are with the victim’s families.
“Right now my mind is on the families who are experiencing a sudden, giant void in their lives. The innocent people currently under medical care fighting for their lives. The children who are experiencing loss and grief far, far too soon,” he wrote. “For every person touched by last night’s violence, know that your city weeps with you. We’re here to embrace you during this devastating time.”
Office of Gun Violence Prevention director Stef Feldman said in a statement: “Americans should not have to live like this. And we can’t let it become normal. This year alone there have been more than 400 mass shootings which have traumatized Americans and torn communities apart. As President Biden often says: Enough is enough.”
Anyone with information in relation to the shooting has been asked to contact the Birmingham Police Department Homicide Division directly at 205-254-1764 or remain anonymous by contacting Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
