Birmingham, Alabama shooting: At least 4 dead, several injured in shooting in popular Five Points South neighborhood, police say

CNN
—

At least four people were killed and “dozens” more were injured in a mass shooting in one of Birmingham, Alabama’s most popular entertainment districts Saturday night, the Birmingham Police Department said.

Shortly after 11 p.m., “multiple shooters fired multiple shots at a group of people” in the Five Points South area, Birmingham police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.

When officers arrived at the scene, they found two men and a woman unconscious and suffering from gunshot wounds. All three were pronounced dead at the scene, Fitzgerald said. A fourth victim died at an area hospital, he added.

No suspects were in custody early Sunday, Fitzgerald said.

The incident adds to the list of 403 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot and injured, not including the shooter.

The Alabama victims were all outdoors, on the sidewalk or in the street, Fitzgerald said. Investigators are trying to determine whether the shooters approached the victims on foot or in cars, he added.

Additional shooting victims have been identified in the area and others have been admitted to local hospitals, Fitzgerald said. The University of Alabama Hospital in Birmingham received 11 of the victims, including one of the deceased, hospital spokeswoman Hannah Echols told CNN. The conditions of the victims have not been released.

“We have dozens of gunshot victims in this area,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m told at least four of those victims are in life-threatening condition, the others have various injuries.”

It is unclear how many people opened fire or what motivated the violence. Fitzgerald said police were investigating whether there were “multiple shootings.”

Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, Fitzgerald said. Birmingham police have asked area businesses to provide any surveillance footage they may have and have asked the public to come forward with any relevant information.

“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure that we uncover, identify and track down those responsible for the attacks on our people,” he said.

Five Points South is a vibrant neighborhood known for its restaurants, nightclubs, pubs and music venues near the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus and a short drive from downtown Birmingham.

Fitzgerald said mass shootings “have more to do with culture than crime,” adding that “we see far too many conflicts resolved by bullets.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.