BIRMINGHAM, AL – The late Saturday evening shootings in Birmingham, Alabama’s busy entertainment sector have resulted in four fatalities and 17 injuries, according to police. Police consider the incident likely a deliberate “hit” rather than a random act of violence, with the target believed to be one of the deceased.
The incident occurred just past 11 p.m. when several individuals alighted from their vehicles, opened fire on the crowd in the Five Points South district, then fled the scene. Police Chief Scott Thurmond of the Birmingham Police Department shared this information during a Sunday press conference. The other shooting victims are assumed to have been unintended victims of crossfire.
Despite no suspects’ current detention, the Birmingham police department, in collaboration with the FBI and other partners, is engaged in an active hunt for the shooters. They urge public members with information on the shootings to share it with them.
Mayor Randall Woodfin suggested the pattern of the shootings indicated the attackers may have made use of illegal gun conversion devices, colloquially known as “switches.” These can alter a firearm’s trigger mechanism, converting it to operate as an automatic weapon.
Upon their arrival at the incident scene on Saturday night, officers found two men and a woman unresponsive due to gunshot wounds, who were later pronounced dead. A fourth victim, also male, was declared dead at the University of Alabama Hospital. Initial reporting estimated 18 shooting victims, but the confirmed count is now 17.
This latest incident takes the tally of mass shootings in the US this year to 404, per the Gun Violence Archive.
Although crime rates have exhibited decreasing trends nationally, Birmingham experienced an elevated murder rate earlier this year. FBI reported a drop of over 26% in national murder rates for the first quarter of 2024 compared to the same 2023 period. In contrast, as of March 4, Birmingham recorded 17 killings this year as compared to the 12 reported during the same interval last year. This indicates a percent increase of 41.7 in the city’s murder incidents.
Despite the recent crime spike, Birmingham’s Five Points South district continues to attract visitors with its assortment of restaurants, nightclubs, pubs, and live music venues.