BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBMA) — Two people are dead and five others were injured after a mass shooting in Birmingham’s Sandusky neighborhood Thursday night.
According to the Birmingham Police Department, officers were called to the 100 block of Holley Avenue on reports of multiple people shot shortly after 8:30 p.m.
When officers arrived, they found at least seven adults suffering from gunshot wounds.
Friday morning, the Birmingham Police Department confirmed a second person had died as a result of the shooting.
The deceased are one man and one woman. The coroner has identified them as 50-year-old Bernard Duane Montez Watts and 33-year-old Diandra Young Johnson, both of Birmingham.
Police said preliminary evidence indicates some type of gathering was taking place when the shooting happened.
“The preliminary investigation has revealed that some sort of gathering was going on at the location when gunfire erupted and wounded at least seven,” Freeman said.
Investigators have not yet determined how many shooters were involved, but described a large volume of gunfire at the scene.
“I can’t say how many shooters there were, but I can tell you that there were a plethora of gunshots fired in this area,” Freeman said. “A bunch of shell casings on the ground, and we just have a lot of digging to do to figure out what transpired in this case.”
Police estimated more than 30 shell casings were found at the scene.
As officers worked through the night, authorities continued searching for those responsible. The Star 1 helicopter was assisting from the air, searching for anyone who may have been involved, Freeman noted.
“Right now detectives are working to figure out if there are any persons of interest in the area,” Freeman said. “We have the assistance of Star 1 up, the helicopter. They are circling around. They’ll probably be up all night until we get some kind of indication on who did this.”
Investigators have also transported numerous witnesses to police headquarters for questioning.
“We’ve transported a ton to the headquarters for questioning,” Freeman said. “Our officers are still gathering information, still gathering up witnesses to transport more people to ask them questions.”
Freeman said the shooting was particularly surprising because officers were told the area is not typically associated with violent crime.
“We have been told by community members that that location rarely has any incidents, so this is actually shocking to us that something of that nature occurred there,” he said.
Police expect the area to remain closed for several hours while evidence is collected and the investigation continues.
Authorities are asking anyone with information to contact Birmingham Police detectives at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
“We are deeply saddened by the passing of one of those individuals,” Freeman said. “We won’t sleep until we find out who’s done this, who’s caused this tragedy in this community.”
District 9 Council Pro Tem LaTonya Tate released the following statement in response to the incident.
“Earlier this week at the Birmingham City Council meeting, we stood alongside victims, community organizations, and affected family members as part of Gun Violence Awareness Month. Today we’re mourning another senseless tragedy that has taken two lives and impacted countless others. It shouldn’t be like this, and we refuse to accept this as a recurring, unavoidable pain. This investigation is still under way and law enforcement is gathering more details at this time. One thing is certain: it will take every single citizen of this city standing in solidarity to put an end to this. We must remain committed to peaceful conflict resolution efforts because gunfire has never settled a disagreement or solved a problem. Our hearts go out to the families left to pick up the pieces and grieve. We are all exhausted by this cycle of violence and the unnecessary suffering it brings, but we are far from defeated. We remain committed to investing in community-based organizations focused on gun violence reduction. We’ve seen this work. But we need your help. If you have information that could bring closure to the victims’ families, please contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 205-254-7777.”
