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September 2024 Birmingham shooting

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September 2024 Birmingham shooting
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45km
30miles
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LocationBirmingham, Alabama, U.S.
Coordinates33°30′04.8″N 86°47′46.1″W / 33.501333°N 86.796139°W / 33.501333; -86.796139
DateSeptember 21, 2024; 2 months ago (2024-09-21)
c. 11:00 p.m. (CDT)
Attack type
Mass shooting
WeaponsFully automatic assault weapons
Deaths4
Injured17
Accused1
ChargesCapital murder

On September 21, 2024, four people were killed and seventeen were injured in a mass shooting at an entertainment venue in the Five Points South neighborhood of Birmingham, Alabama, United States.[1][2]

The police believe that the shooting was targeted, and that the intended target is among the dead.[1]

Background

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Previous shootings

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The shooting was the third quadruple homicide in Birmingham in 2024. In February, four men were killed in a drive-by shooting near a car wash.[3] In July, four were killed and ten were injured in a drive-by shooting at a birthday party hosted by a nightclub,[4][5] which at the time, was the city's largest mass shooting in 2024.

Five Points South neighborhood

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Located south of the city's downtown, Five Points South is home to the University of Alabama at Birmingham campus, an area with a mix of restaurants, and a busy nightlife hub, with many pubs and live music spots clustered on 20th Street South.[6]

Shooting

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Just after 11 p.m., multiple shooters in a vehicle approached Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge on Magnolia Avenue with a queue outside, exited the vehicle to open fire, and then drove away.[7] Police responded to calls about the shooting, and found two men and a woman unconscious; they were pronounced dead at the scene. A man being treated in the hospital later died. Seventeen others were wounded, with four suffering life-threatening wounds.[8] Around 100 shell casings were recovered from the scene and it is suspected that Glocks equipped with glock switches may have been used in the attack.[9][10]

Victims

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Three of the four victims were identified as Anitra Holloman, 21; Tahj Booker, 27; and Carlos McCain, 27. The fourth victim who died in the hospital was identified as Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26.[9] Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said that "some of the victims that were killed had extensive criminal histories", but he also added that he believed many of those shot were "collateral damage".[11] Thurmond did not say which victim or victims may have been targeted, but two of the dead were implicated in previous killings.[12]

Accused

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According to law enforcement, the shooting was perpetrated by "multiple shooters" who drove off after the shooting. Investigators believe that they were paid to commit the attack and that one or more people were the intended targets.[1] In October 2024, a suspect, 22-year-old Damien McDaniel, was arrested and charged with capital murder for the shooting. He is also charged with murder and capital murder for two other fatal shootings that occurred on September 19 and 22, respectively.[13] In November 2024, McDaniel was charged with two additional shooting incidents, one of which was another mass shooting at a Birmingham nightclub on July 13 that killed four and injured ten. The other shooting he is charged with was the murder of a man during a burglary on August 13. In total, McDaniel has been accused of 11 murders.[14][15]

Reactions

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At a news conference, Randall Woodfin, the mayor of Birmingham, stated that the city was being particularly affected by an epidemic of gun violence in the United States.[16] Mayor Woodfin later called on citizens who had information to come forward about the case saying that if they did not come forward that they "are as responsible for the person or the people that pull the triggers".[17]

The Crime Stoppers of Metro Alabama and Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) offered $50,000 USD reward each, totaling $100,000 USD, for helping to find the suspects in the attack, the largest in the former's history, leading to a surge of tips about the case.[12]

Mayor Randall Woodfin accompanying Vice President Kamala Harris and President Joe Biden at the executive order signing ceremony while Parkland shooting survivor Sari Kaufman speaks on September 26, 2024.

Mayor Woodfin called on the Alabama Legislature to make glock switches, which are illegal under federal law, also illegal under state law. State Representatives Phillip Ensler, Allen Treadaway, Russell Bedsole, Travis Hendrix, and Rex Reynolds prefiled a bill that would make it so that individuals who knowingly have firearms that have a part or parts attached to them that can convert the pistol into a fully automatic weapon that can fire multiple rounds in a short period can be charged with a Class C felony, punishable by up to 10 years in prison. House speaker pro tempore Chris Pringle said that Mayor Woodfin was trying to blame the legislature and that they were "not responsible for most of these issues".[10]

On September 26, Mayor Woodfin and Representative Terri Sewell, who represents the area, visited the White House for an executive order signing ceremony with President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris. The executive order is designed to target trigger switches by creating a task force which will issue a report in 90 days about the federal government's capacity to detect and seize the devices, as well as an effort to address the trauma caused by active shooter drills in schools. Representative Sewell said of trigger switches that, "Machine gun converters like the one used in Saturday night’s mass shooting are designed for one purpose — mass killing."[18][19]

On September 27, a vigil was held for shooting victim Anitra Holloman at Railroad Park with her family members and friends in attendance. Multiple community activists spoke at the vigil.[20]

On September 23, Mayor Woodfin posted to his Facebook page a meme of headshots of various state lawmakers representing Jefferson County with the caption, "Thanks to all the Representatives helping to address public safety in Jefferson County". However, red text saying "Not you" was placed over the headshot of State Representative Juandalynn Givan. This meme was posted in response to Givan's suggestion that the Alabama National Guard be called in to support the Birmingham Police Department in response to the violence in the city.[21] Four days later, Woodfin issued an apology for posting the meme and said that he "messed up" following widespread criticism for the post and vowed to shift his focus back to "the real work" of addressing the city's violence problem.[22]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Afshar, Paradise; Mascarenhas, Lauren; Razek, Raja (September 22, 2024). "At least 4 killed and 'dozens' injured in shooting at popular entertainment area in Birmingham, Alabama, police say". CNN.
  2. ^ Debusmann, Bernd Jr (September 22, 2024). "Four dead and 18 hurt in Alabama mass shooting". BBC News. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  3. ^ Robinson, Carol (February 17, 2024). "Birmingham shooting kills 4 lifelong friends: 'Something special about him,' one victim's family says". AL.com. Retrieved February 17, 2024.
  4. ^ Robinson, Carol (July 14, 2024). "4 killed, 10 wounded in drive-by shooting at adult birthday party at Birmingham social club". al.com. Retrieved July 14, 2024.
  5. ^ Robinson, Carol (September 22, 2024). "Mass shooting in Birmingham's 5 Points South leaves 4 dead, 18 injured". AL.com. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  6. ^ "Five Points South Historic District". Sweet Home Alabama. Retrieved September 23, 2024.
  7. ^ Lang, Taylor; Conlon, Riley (October 10, 2024). "THE LATEST: Updates on the Birmingham, Alabama September mass shooting". WVTM. Retrieved October 10, 2024.
  8. ^ Taft, Isabelle; Zhuang, Yan (September 22, 2024). "4 Killed in Shooting Near University of Alabama at Birmingham". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  9. ^ a b Chandler, Kim; Riddle, Safiyah (September 23, 2024). "Birmingham, Alabama, leaders plead for information on mass shooting and announce reward money". AP News. Retrieved December 11, 2024.
  10. ^ a b Chapoco, Ralph (September 24, 2024). "Birmingham mass shooting leads to calls for state ban on 'Glock switches'". Alabama Reflector. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  11. ^ Li, David K. (September 23, 2024). "Alabama mass shooting victims may have been targeted in murder-for-hire plot, police say". NBC News. Retrieved September 24, 2024.
  12. ^ a b Robinson, Carol (September 24, 2024). "Largest Crime Stoppers reward ever driving tips in Birmingham mass shooting investigation". al.com. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  13. ^ Robinson, Carol (October 17, 2024). "Suspect arrested in Birmingham's 5 Points South mass shooting allegedly killed 6 people in 3 days". AL.com. Retrieved October 18, 2024.
  14. ^ Robinson, Carol (November 26, 2024). "2 arrested in July Birmingham mass shooting: 1 suspect accused of killing 11 people in 2 months". AL.com. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  15. ^ Delcambre, Shannon (November 26, 2024). "Man facing charges for at least 11 murders in Birmingham mass shootings, homicides". WVTM-TV. Retrieved November 27, 2024.
  16. ^ Taft, Isabelle; Zhuang, Yan (September 22, 2024). "4 Killed in Shooting Near University of Alabama at Birmingham". The New York Times. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  17. ^ "'Do your part': Birmingham mayor urges anyone with information about mass shooting to step up". WBRC. September 24, 2024. Retrieved September 25, 2024.
  18. ^ Hagan, Victor (September 26, 2024). "U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell applauds Biden executive order after Birmingham mass shooting". Montgomery Advertiser. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  19. ^ Sharp, John (September 26, 2024). "Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to be at White House for Glock switch executive order". al.com. Retrieved September 26, 2024.
  20. ^ Robinson, Carol (September 27, 2024). "Tears, prayers, pleas flow at vigil for Birmingham mass shooting victim: 'Put the guns down'". al.com. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  21. ^ Koplowitz, Howard (September 23, 2024). "Woodfin meme takes dig at Juandalynn Givan for saying maybe National Guard needed in 'unsafe' Birmingham". al.com. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
  22. ^ "Birmingham Mayor Woodfin apologizes for social media dig amid mass shooting response". Alabama Political Reporter. September 30, 2024. Retrieved October 2, 2024.
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