4 dead, 17 injured in mass shooting in Birmingham

At least four people were killed and 17 injured in a mass shooting in Birmingham's Five Points South district on the night of Saturday to Sunday.

Birmingham police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said police were called to the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue South shortly after 11 p.m. for a shooting.

At the scene, several people pulled up in a car and fired at one person with at least one automatic weapon before getting back into the vehicle and fleeing the scene, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said in an update Sunday morning. More than 100 shell casings were collected at the scene, along with other evidence, and bystanders were caught in the crossfire.

“Our deepest condolences go out to the victims and their families,” Thurmond said. “These are 21 people whose lives have been forever changed. These are 21 families that have been destroyed. Our deepest sympathies go out to them as we process this, but it will take some time.”

Thurmond said the shooting was not random and could have been the result of a suspected contract killing of a person in the Five Points South entertainment district. No one is in custody, but police are asking businesses and witnesses to come forward with any information they have.

“The public is the eyes and ears of the city and the police,” Thurmond said. “They know a lot more than we will ever know. They need to share that information with us so we can act accordingly and get these people off the streets of Birmingham.”

The target is among the four dead. At the crime scene, police found two men and a woman who had been shot and were unconscious. They were later confirmed dead at the crime scene.

The fourth deceased victim, a man, was among eight people transported by Birmingham Fire and Rescue to the University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham for gunshot wounds.

Other gunshot victims arrived on their own at Ascension St. Vincent's Hospital, Brookwood Baptist Medical Center and Princeton Baptist Medical Center for treatment. The other victims' injuries range from critical to non-life threatening.

City and police officials believe the shooting may have involved a switch, a small device that can transform a semi-automatic pistol into a fully automatic weapon.

Initial reports on social media suggested the shooting may have taken place at a nearby nightclub, but Fitzgerald said police were told all of the victims were outdoors – either on the sidewalk or in the street.

“We were not told that this happened at any company,” he said.

According to AL.com, Birmingham's total homicide count for 2024 is 122, including the four deaths Saturday night. It's the third quadruple homicide this year, following a drive-by shooting in the Smithfield neighborhood on Feb. 16 and a drive-by shooting at an adult birthday party on July 13.

At Sunday's press conference, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said everyone in the city owes it to the victims and their families to do everything they can to bring the shooters to justice. He also spoke about the larger issue of gun violence, calling it not just a Birmingham problem, but an American problem.

“We are in the year 2024, when gun violence in our country has reached epidemic proportions, and unfortunately the city of Birmingham is at the forefront of that spearhead,” Woodfin said. “Is it a solvable problem? The answer is yes. Does it require everyone to pull together? The answer is also yes.”

Birmingham police are working with the FBI and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in their investigation. City and police officials are asking any businesses in the area with surveillance cameras to contact police if they captured footage of the shooting. An evidence submission portal has been set up, and witnesses are also asked to call Crimestoppers at 205-254-7777 with any information.

“There is a certain element in this community that is too comfortable walking around with semi-automatic weapons, automatic weapons, convergence switches and anything else whose sole intention is to hurt people, to shoot them, to kill them,” Woodfin said. “They don't care if there are innocent people around. We need the resources necessary … that's why I want to work with the state to solve this problem.”

Stephan Bisaha, Orlando Flores Jr. and Drew Hawkins of the Gulf States Newsroom contributed to this report.