What We Know about the Birmingham Mass Shooting
This image provided by WBMA shows police and emergency vehicles in the entertainment district after a shooting in Birmingham, Ala., on Sept. 22, 2024. Credit - Bill Castle—WBMA/AP
Authorities are offering a reward of up to $100,000 in exchange for more information about multiple shooters who opened fire in Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend in a mass shooting that left four people dead and 17 others injured.
The shooting took place on Saturday night in Birmingham’s Five Point South neighborhood when officers responded to reports of shots fired and found multiple victims. Five of the 17 injured still remain in the hospital as of Monday, according to authorities.
Birmingham Police Chief Scott said some of the deceased have “extensive criminal histories” and “because of that, there’s often times motivation from others and there’s people who are willing to pay to have them killed."
Authorities theorize that the shooters initially sought to harm one person, but bystanders were also injured. The FBI and Crime Stoppers are each offering $50,000 for tips that lead to an arrest or conviction of those involved. "If you, or you know someone, who has information about those involved in Saturday's mass shooting, know that you can remain anonymous," FBI Birmingham Special Agent in Charge Carlton Peeples said at the news conference.
There are currently no suspects in custody.
What happened?
Officers first received calls alerting them to the shooting at Five Points South, an entertainment district in the city, around 11 p.m Saturday, Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald said during Monday’s press conference. Sources on scene say that multiple people pulled up in a vehicle, got out, and shot the victims before fleeing the site in the same vehicle. Investigators said during Sunday’s press release that they believe that shooters used gun conversion devices, or illegal items that can be applied to firearms to turn them into fully automatic weapons that discharge all bullets in seconds.
More than 100 shell casings were found at the shooting site, according to Thurmond.
Officers say that when they arrived they found several victims, three of which were “unresponsive” —two men and one woman—that were later declared dead, according to authorities. A fourth victim was transported to the hospital, where they later died.
Who are the victims?
The victims include: Anitra Holloman, 21; Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26; Tahj Booker, 27; and Carlos McCain, 27.
So far in 2024, there have been 404 mass shootings in the U.S., per the Gun Violence Archive. U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy declared firearm violence a public health crisis in June.
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