BPD promises to 'uncover, identify and hunt down' perpetrators of Birmingham mass shooting

A mass shooting in Birmingham Saturday night left 4 dead and 17 more injured, some with life-threatening injuries. It happened in the2000 Block of Magnolia Avenue South around 11:00 p.m.

BPD Chief Scott Thurmond offers condolences to the families saying, "That's 21 people whose lives were forever changed, that's 21 families some were destroyed and some were just altered and our hearts go out to them."

Some of the deceased have now been identified as Anitra Holloman, Tahj Booker, and Carlos McCain. A fourth victim, an adult male, is pending identification.

BPD held a news conference Sunday morning giving details about the investigation. According to investigators multiple shooters arrived in a vehicle, got out and fired more than 100 rounds with automatic weapons and fled the scene in their vehicle. The weapons were believed to be modified guns using "machine gun conversion devices" or switches.

The shooting took place outside of Hush, a cigar and hookah lounge on the city's southside. BPD says like many other shootings across the city this was a targeted incident. Thurmond elaborated saying, "We believe there was a hit, if you will, on that particular person. As far as you know someone was willing to pay money to get somebody killed."

Shortly after the shooting Saturday night, Truman Fitzgerald with BPD made a promise to the people of Birmingham saying, "Rest assured we are going to do everything we possibly can to make sure that we uncover, identify and hunt down whoever was responsible for preying on our people this morning."

Thurmond says the greatest resource for identifying any suspect is the people of Birmingham: "The public is the eyes and ears of the city and the police department; they know far more than we'll ever know. They've got to share that information with us so we can act on it and remove those people from the streets of Birmingham."

There were hundreds of people in the area in Five Points South Saturday night that may have valuable information as well as many businesses with security cameras that may have captured something. BPD is urging potential witnesses and businesses to come forward so they have any information that could make a difference in this investigation.

The BPD is working with the ATF and FBI in its investigation.