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21 people shot, at least 4 dead in mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama

At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

BREAKING NEWS IS HAPPENING RIGHT NOW, AND IT IS 201 ON A SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 22ND. I’M JARVIS ROBERTSON HERE WITH GLADYS BAUTISTA. WE CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THAT BREAKING NEWS A MASS SHOOTING IN SOUTH SIDE OF FIVE POINT SOUTH. AND WHAT WE KNOW SO FAR IS THAT FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. FOUR PEOPLE ARE CRITICALLY INJURED. AND DOZENS OF OTHERS ALSO INJURED. WHEN POLICE SAY MULTIPLE SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD STANDING OUTSIDE IT ALL HAPPENED ON MAGNOLIA AVENUE. NOW, POLICE SAY THAT THERE ARE SEVERAL VICTIMS IN THIS SITUATION. AS WE KNOW, DOZENS ARE INJURED. SOME HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, SOME HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. WE DO WANT TO GET OUT TO WVTM. 13 S ZOE BLAIR. SHE IS ON THE GROUND FOR US RIGHT NOW FOLLOWING THE LATEST GLADYS. I’M SORRY ZOE. TELL US WHAT YOU ARE SEEING AROUND YOU NOW. THANK YOU FOR. YEAH. JARVIS GLADYS. YOU CAN SEE HERE BEHIND ME. BIRMINGHAM. POLICE ARE STILL INVESTIGATING THIS MASS SHOOTING. IT HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. I’M TOLD THAT IT HAPPENED BACK THAT WAY. ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FOUNTAIN. SOMEBODY OPENED FIRE ON THE SIDEWALK. WE BIRMINGHAM. POLICE TOLD US THAT DOZENS OF PEOPLE GOT GUNSHOT INJURIES FROM THIS. EIGHT PEOPLE WERE TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL. FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. THERE ARE STILL TONS OF PEOPLE OUT HERE LOOKING FOR THEIR FAMILY MEMBERS AND TRYING. SOME OF THEM ARE JUST TRYING TO GET BACK TO THEIR CARS TO GET HOME. MANY OF THEM ARE STILL LOOKING FOR ANSWERS ON WHAT HAPPENED. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT THEY DO NOT HAVE ANYONE IN CUSTODY RIGHT NOW, BUT THEY’RE STILL WORKING TO FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENED. BACK TO YOU GUYS. ALL RIGHT, ZOE, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND FROM WHAT YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT SCENE, IT LOOKS LIKE THERE IS POLICE TAPE ALL OVER THE PLACE. POLICE HAVE SAID THAT DOZENS OF THE VICTIMS ARE AT VARIOUS HOSPITALS. SO RIGHT NOW, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THIS IS A REALLY FLUID SITUATION, A VERY FLUID SITUATION. AND KEEP IN MIND, THIS HAPPENED ON A SATURDAY NIGHT WHEN THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE OUT IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. AS YOU CAN SEE FROM THAT CRIME SCENE TAPE THAT WE JUST SAW AROUND ZOE, POLICE ARE GOING TO BE THERE FOR SOME TIME. AGAIN, THEY SAY THAT A GROUP OF PEOPLE STARTED FIRING AT PEOPLE WHO WERE STANDING OUT IN THE OPEN, AND SOMETHING INTERESTING THAT POLICE SAID. THEY SAID THAT THEY COULD NOT SAY HOW MANY SHOTS WERE FIRED, BUT THEY DO BELIEVE THAT GLOCK SWITCHES WERE USED. AND WE KNOW THAT THAT HAS BEEN A MAJOR ISSUE FOR THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT, FOR FEDERAL PARTNERS AS WELL, DEALING WITH THE REGULATION OF THESE GLOCK SWITCHES. WE ALSO HEARD FROM POLICE CHIEFS LAST WEEK EVEN SAYING THAT THEY’RE WORKING RIGHT NOW AT THE STATE LEVEL TO MAKE THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES THEY BELIEVE WERE USED IN TONIGHT’S SHOOTING ILLEGAL AT THE STATE LEVEL, BECAUSE RIGHT NOW THEY’RE ONLY ILLEGAL AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL. AND FOR SOME TIME THAT BIRMINGHAM CITY LEADERS, THEY HAVE BEEN WORKING TO GET THESE GLOCK SWITCHES OFF THE STREET. BIRMINGHAM BIRMINGHAM MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN, HE HAS BEEN VERY VOCAL EVEN NOT TOO LONG AGO WITHIN THE LAST COUPLE OF MONTHS, POSTING ON SOCIAL MEDIA SAYING THAT WE ARE COMING AFTER THE PEOPLE WHO USE GLOCK. GLOCK SWITCHES. NOW KEEP IN MIND, ONCE HE MADE THAT POST, THERE WERE SOME PEOPLE WHO DECIDED TO THINK IT WAS A JOKE. THEY POSTED GLOCK SWITCHES, POSTED THEM SHOOTING GLOCK SWITCHES AND GUESS WHAT? HE POSTED THAT POLICE, FEDERAL PARTNERS THEY WENT AFTER THOSE PEOPLE. WE DID HAVE A CHANCE TO HEAR FROM SOME PEOPLE WHO WERE ON THE GROUND OUT THERE THAT NIGHT THAT WALKED UP SHORTLY AFTER THE INCIDENT HAPPENED. TAKE A LISTEN. VERY SCARY, VERY LIKE WHEN I ASKED, I WALKED UP WHEN IT WAS LIKE JUST ENDED BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SCREAMING. IT WAS PEOPLE CRYING. POLICE OFFICERS. THEY WAS TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE. SO THEY JUST WAS TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB. AND I GUESS GET THE AID AND INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. YOU SAID YOU SAW SOME PEOPLE CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS. YES, MA’AM. IT WAS LITERALLY PROBABLY ABOUT 6 TO 7 PEOPLE, MALES AND FEMALES. THAT WAS COMING OUT ON STRETCHERS. AND IT WAS AMBULANCE COMING BACK TO BACK. SO IT WAS DEFINITELY A BAD CRIME SCENE FOR THE FIVE POINTS AREA. YOU DON’T SEE STUFF LIKE THIS JUST YOU GOING OUT TO HAVE A GOOD TIME AND YOU WALK UP ON SOMETHING LIKE THIS. SO IT’S JUST IT’S VERY RARE THAT YOU SEE SOMETHING LIKE THIS VERY CLOSE TO HOME, YOU KNOW, SO JUST KIND OF SAD FOR, YOU KNOW, THE PUBLIC AND THE FAMILY MEMBERS AND FRIENDS OF THE PEOPLE THAT GOT WOUNDED. YEAH. AND SO DOES THIS MAKE YOU RETHINK YOU WANTING TO GO OUT DOWN HERE OR ANYTHING? YES, MA’AM. DEFINITELY. IT’S A GUY WALKED BY AND HE SAID, THIS IS THE MAIN REASON WHY I STAY AT HOME. YOU KNOW, AND I KNOW THINGS CAN HAPPEN NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, BUT YOU JUST HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, BE MINDFUL OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS AND, YOU KNOW, USE YOUR BEST JUDGMENT. AND LIKE I SAID, I WAS GOING TO COME OUT EARLIER, BUT I DIDN’T. I KIND OF LAGGED AROUND AND IT WAS A REASON. SO EVERYTHING HAPPENED FOR A REASON. YOU JUST HAVE TO KNOW WHEN IT’S IT’S TIME TO GO OR IT’S TIME TO GO TO ANOTHER LOCATION BECAUSE THIS AREA HERE LATELY, THE PAST COUPLE OF WEEKENDS, IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. IT’S BEEN GETTING BAD. WOW. CAN’T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT MUST HAVE BEEN LIKE. SO HAPPY THAT THAT GENTLEMAN THAT SHE SPOKE TO IS OKAY. BUT WE KNOW THAT THAT’S NOT THE SITUATION FOR SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE. AND HE TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE GETTING CARRIED OUT ON STRETCHERS ON MY WAY IN HERE. I PASSED THROUGH THAT AREA. POLICE SAY THAT THE AREA THAT I CAME DOWN, WHICH WAS UNIVERSITY BOULEVARD, HE SAID THAT THIS AREA RIGHT NOW, WE HAD TO ESTABLISH A PERIMETER SO THAT THE MEDICAL VEHICLES, THE AMBULANCES COULD GET OUT AND HAVE A PATHWAY OUT OF THAT. THAT IS, YOU KNOW, JUST TO GIVE YOU AN IDEA OF HOW POPULATED THIS AREA WAS WHEN ALL OF THIS HAPPENED. YEAH, WE KNOW THAT AGAIN, A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE OUT ON THE WEEKENDS AND FIVE POINTS OUT IN BIRMINGHAM. YES. AGAIN, WE DO WANT TO REITERATE THAT THIS HAPPENED JUST AFTER 11:00 LAST NIGHT. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SAY THAT SEVERAL SHOOTERS OPENED FIRE ON A CROWD OF PEOPLE. WE KNOW THAT UNFORTUNATELY, FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD, FOUR PEOPLE HAVE LIFE THREATENING INJURIES, BUT DOZENS OF PEOPLE HAVE VARIOUS INJURIES. MULTIPLE PEOPLE HAVE BEEN TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL RIGHT NOW, MULTIPLE FIRST RESPONDERS STILL BEING DISPATCHED TO THAT SCENE, TRYING TO JUST GET EVERYTHING UNDER CONTROL. NOW, THE MOTIVE FOR THE SHOOTING IS STILL UNCLEAR AT THIS MOMENT, AND THAT IS THE ONE THING THAT PEOPLE WILL BE LOOKING FOR, RIGHT? AND THEN WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS ENTIRE AREA THAT POLICE NOW HAVE TO SIFT THROUGH TO TRY TO FIND THEIR EVIDENCE WHEN THEY’RE TALKING ABOUT GLOCK SWITCHES, YOU’RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, WE DON’T EVEN KNOW THE NUMBER OF SHOTS THAT WERE FIRED, ESPECIALLY WHEN YOU’RE TALKING ABOUT A SWITCH ON A GUN LIKE THAT FROM MULTIPLE SHOOTERS. SO POLICE HAVE A LOT. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE A LOT TO DEAL WITH. AND WHAT’S INTERESTING, YEAH, WHAT’S INTERESTING ABOUT IT WITH THOSE GLOCK SWITCHES, ONCE THEY INSTALL THEM ON A TYPICAL HANDGUN. RIGHT. I MEAN, IT CAN FIRE RAPID SUCCESSION FOR HUNDREDS OF BULLETS. SO I MEAN, BIRMINGHAM OFFICIALS, AFTER TONIGHT, THEY’RE DEFINITELY GOING TO BE PUSHING EVEN HARDER TO GET THESE OFF THE STREETS. RIGHT. AND WE HEARD FROM POLICE, THEY SAID THAT RIGHT NOW THEY WANT TO FIND THOSE SHOOTERS AND THEY’RE GOING TO HUNT THEM DOWN AND MAKE SURE THEY ARE BROUGHT TO JUSTICE. AND REALLY QUICKLY. I DO WANT TO REITERATE WHAT THE GENTLEMAN SAID, THAT IT’S SAD. I MEAN, JUST LOOKING ACROSS FACEBOOK RIGHT NOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE POSTING THIS IS SAD. BIRMINGHAM WE HAVE TO DO BETTER. SO THIS IS A COMMUNITY THAT IS HURTING BY GUN VIOLENCE. DEFINITELY. UNFORTUNATELY, AND RIGHT NOW WE DON’T KNOW HOW IT’S GOING TO END. AND WE DON’T EVEN KNOW HOW MANY PEOPLE HAVE BEEN AFFECTED. WE WILL CONTINUE TO FOLLOW THIS DEVELOPING STORY FOR YOU. WE HAVE CREWS ON THE GROUND THERE AT THAT SCENE. WE’RE GOING TO BE UPDATING THIS THROUGHOUT THE NIGHT.

21 people shot, at least 4 dead in mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama

At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries

Four people are dead and 17 others were shot when multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Birmingham police.Birmingham police said multiple people fired multiple shots on a group of people just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham Five Points South. It happened outside Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge on Magnolia Avenue. Police believe the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incident. Multiple people were caught in the crossfire, and right now, police are trying to identify the intended target.A total of 21 people were shot. Police originally stated there were 22 people shot. Among the 17 who survived, their injuries range from non-life-threatening to life-threatening.No one is in custody at this time, according to police. Video below: Watch the full news conference from policeTwo men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital. At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital received 12 of the victims, including one deceased victim brought to the hospital from the scene, a spokesperson told WVTM in a statement. Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle. Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machine gun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham.Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.Dajon Singleton said witnessing the scene was “very scary” and he saw several people on stretchers.”I walked up when it was just ending, because everybody was screaming, there was people crying,” said Singleton.Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin believes the violence the city has seen is solvable.”We acknowledge the toll of the heaviness for those involved,” Woodfin said.He continued, “We, all of us, as a community owe it to them to do everything we can to take these shooters, killers off the streets.”

Four people are dead and 17 others were shot when multiple shooters fired on “people in the open” Saturday night, according to Birmingham police.

Birmingham police said multiple people fired multiple shots on a group of people just after 11 p.m. Saturday night in Birmingham Five Points South. It happened outside Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge on Magnolia Avenue.

Police believe the shooting was not random and stemmed from an isolated incident. Multiple people were caught in the crossfire, and right now, police are trying to identify the intended target.

A total of 21 people were shot. Police originally stated there were 22 people shot. Among the 17 who survived, their injuries range from non-life-threatening to life-threatening.

No one is in custody at this time, according to police.

Video below: Watch the full news conference from police

Two men and a woman were found unresponsive with gunshot wounds when police arrived, and then more gunshot victims were found. Those three victims died on the scene and another died at the hospital.

At least four of the gunshot victims have life-threatening injuries. The rest have “various injuries,” police said.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital received 12 of the victims, including one deceased victim brought to the hospital from the scene, a spokesperson told WVTM in a statement.

Birmingham Police Officer Truman Fitzgerald said the victims were out in the open on the sidewalk and street when the shooting began. Investigators are trying to figure out if the shooters walked up to the victims or drove by in a vehicle.

Police believe Glock switches were used. Those switches are machine gun conversion devices and have been the focus of a recent federal crackdown in Birmingham.

Birmingham Five Points South is an entertainment district with restaurants and nightlife.

Dajon Singleton said witnessing the scene was “very scary” and he saw several people on stretchers.

“I walked up when it was just ending, because everybody was screaming, there was people crying,” said Singleton.

Anyone with information is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777. Birmingham police have asked that businesses in the area provide any surveillance footage they might have, and requested that the public reach out to them with any relevant information.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin believes the violence the city has seen is solvable.

“We acknowledge the toll of the heaviness for those involved,” Woodfin said.

He continued, “We, all of us, as a community owe it to them to do everything we can to take these shooters, killers off the streets.”