Four people have reportedly died after a mass shooting which occurred in Birmingham, Alabama, Saturday night.
According to reports, several people numbering not less than 18 were also injured at varying degrees.
It was gathered that while scores of people converged in a bustling entertainment district in Birmingham, a group of armed men alighted from a car which suddenly drove up to the Five Points South area and began to shoot sporadically, leading to the death of four persons while others sustained injuries as they scampered for safety.
While the identities of three of the victims who lost their lives in the crossfire have been revealed to the Police, the identities of the armed men who opened fire on innocent civilians, alongside one other victim of the shooting who lost his life have yet to be confirmed.
Alabama Police, in a news release issued on Sunday, said it believes the operation was a hit targeted at one person and that others may have just been unfortunate victims of the attack.
“Someone was willing to pay money to have that person killed,” Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said, adding that detectives are still working to determine who was the intended target(s) of the shooting.
Although no arrests have been made, the Police also disclosed that it was partnering with the FBI and other agencies to investigate the matter and urged anyone with useful information as regards the mass shooting to come forward.
According to the Police, the three identified victims who lost their lives were Anitra Holloman, 21 (female); Tahj Booker, 27 (male) and Carlos McCain, 27 (male). It added that efforts are ongoing to reveal the identity of the fourth slain victim who is also male.
The first three were reportedly found with severe gunshot wounds when the Police arrived the scene of the crime. They, however, lost their lives before any help could be administered to them while the yet-to-be-identified victim lost his life at the University of Alabama Hospital where he was quickly taken to.
In a related development, US President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have extended condolences to the bereaved families as they reportedly join Americans across the nation in praying for the families affected by the shooting which Stef Feldman, director of the White House Office of Gun Violence Prevention described as “senseless violence.”
Feldman, in a statement, noted that the White House, is coordinating with state and local officials and would not relent until the perpetrators were brought to book.
“Americans should not have to live like this. And we can’t let it become normal,” the statement added.
