Mother of Birmingham mass shooting victim reacts to arrest in case

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. ( WIAT ) — An arrest has been made in the mass shooting that happened last month in Birmingham's Five Points South entertainment district. Damien McDaniel, 22, has been charged with capital murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He is the first and only arrest in the investigation so far.

"I think that's one of the greatest things a detective can do in their career is to tell a family that you've been able to get some sort of closure or some sort of justice for their loved one who was either injured or killed," Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said. "It's extremely satisfying, it's kind of what makes it all worth it is to be able to do that for a family."

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Anitra Holloman, 21, was one of the four victims in the mass shooting outside Hush Lounge. Her mom, Candance Kemp, says she got the call Tuesday that an arrest had been made in the case and says she was able to sleep for the first time since her daughter died.

"Justice is served," Kemp said. "Justice will be served. This is only the beginning."

Kemp says this arrest finally gives her some peace. She says Wednesday was the first day in the last three and a half weeks she hasn't cried.

"The night before the detective called me, I got on my knees, cried and I prayed," she said. "So, I'm going to get back on my knees again, get to praying some more."

Kemp says her daughter was her best friend, the life of every party and a woman who loved her family and God more than anything.

"They took something from me that was very, very valuable that I can't never, ever get back. Nothing that I can do," Kemp said. "Even though I've got Skylar, Skylar's still not Anitra, that's still not my child, that's just a piece of her, but she's not mine."

It took BPD three and a-half weeks to arrest McDaniel after Chief Thurmond says over 300 tips came in.

"I didn't even think that they were going to find anyone with everything that's been going on in our city," Kemp said. "I just thought it was going to be another case just swept under the rug to be honest."

Kemp believes McDaniel's arrest is just the beginning.

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"[Police] are coming. That I know, they are coming. That's why I know they haven't really been talking much about the investigation because they are coming, so I do have hope that they will be caught soon," she said. "I'm just patiently waiting, putting it all in God's hand."

When the trial starts for her daughter's killers, Kemp says she'll be in the courtroom every day.

"They hurt me," she said. "I want them to know that I'm a caring mother, I'm a real mom. I love my kids unconditionally and that's what my baby would want me to do."

Holloman's one-year-old daughter is now being raised by Kemp, since both of her parents were killed by gun violence.

"I'm glad that, you know, when she gets older, that she will know that the person who hurt her mom has been arrested and just hope that she can be able to, you know, be alright. Process it over time," Kemp said. "We'll never understand why but just hoping to give her the love and let her understand her mom loved her and it was just something that happened."

Thurmond would not confirm during Wednesday afternoon's press conference if there were still other suspects in the Hush Lounge mass shooting, but says there is still a lot to come as the investigation continues.