Tragedy Struck Birmingham’s Popular Nightlife District: Four Killed, At Least 21 Injured.
On Saturday night in Birmingham, Alabama, a popular entertainment district was marred by violence as “multiple shots” were fired, resulting in the tragic death of four people and leaving at least 21 others injured. The police are now working tirelessly to apprehend those responsible for this horrific act.
The incident occurred just after 11 p.m. near the intersection of 20th Street and Magnolia Ave. in Five Points South, an area known for its numerous entertainment venues, restaurants, and bars that often draw large crowds on Saturday nights. According to initial reports, some victims were waiting to enter Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge, when the shooting began.
First responders discovered two adult males and one adult female, all “unresponsive on the sidewalk suffering from gunshot wounds,” said Birmingham Officer Truman Fitzgerald. All three were pronounced dead at the scene. A fourth victim was transported to UAB Hospital but also succumbed to their injuries.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue service reported that they treated eight victims who were then transported to local hospitals, while others arrived by private vehicles. The exact number of victims remains uncertain as police continue investigating the situation.
Fitzgerald stated, “In these types of situations, when you lock into a number, that number typically changes, so we can for a fact say we have dozens of gunshot victims from this area.” He added that all of the victims were “out in the open” either on a sidewalk or in the street.
The authorities believe multiple shooters were involved and fired multiple shots at their victims while they were out in the open. No arrests have been made, and police are urging anyone with information regarding the shooting to come forward, assuring the public that they will “do everything we possibly can to make sure that we uncover, identify and hunt down who is ever responsible for this preying on our people.
Detectives are investigating whether the shooters were on foot or in a car, and if they were using switches – small devices that can turn semi-automatic guns into fully automatic weapons. This year has already seen two major shooting incidents in Birmingham: On July 13, four people were killed during a drive-by-shooting at an adult birthday party, leaving nine injured.
Birmingham’s Mayor Randall Woodfin commented on the shootings, saying that they represent “far too many arguments being settled by bullets.” Officer Fitzgerald echoed these sentiments, attributing the recent surge in mass shootings to a broader cultural issue rather than criminality alone.
