A massive manhunt was underway Sunday morning after a mass shooting late Saturday night in Birmingham’s bustling Five Points South entertainment area left four dead and at least 18 others injured.
Authorities said they don’t believe the shooting was random, but stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple innocent bystanders were caught in the crossfire.
“We have reached out to our partners with ATF, the FBI, you’ll have a plethora of law enforcement agencies assisting the Birmingham Police Department‚'’ Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.
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“Rest assured, we are going to do everything we possibly can to uncover, identify and hunt down whoever was responsible for preying on our people,” he said.
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Fitzgerald said the shooting happened just after 11 p.m. in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue South. Police are expected to provide an update on the investigation this morning.
Initial reports indicate club patrons were waiting in line outside Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge on Magnolia Avenue, when the shooting took place. Witnesses said at least some of the gunfire sounded like it came from a weapon outfitted with a “switch” that converts a gun to full automatic.
“Glock switches are the number one public safety issue in our city and state,’' Mayor Randall Woodfin said on social media Sunday morning. “Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that discharges all bullets within seconds doesn’t belong on our domestic streets.’'
Detectives are working to confirm it was a drive-by or if the shooters were on foot, police said.
As South Precinct officers responded to the report of shots fired, they learned multiple people had been shot.
Once on the scene, they found two men and a woman unresponsive on the sidewalk.
Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service pronounced all three dead on the scene. A fourth man was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital.
Officers from throughout the city flocked to Five Points South as a massive perimeter was set up at the chaotic scene.
Firefighters took eight of the wounded from the scene. The other victims began showing up at hospitals through Birmingham.
“We have dozens of gunshot victims from this area,’’ Fitzgerald said. “I’m told at least four of those gunshot victims are life-threatening.”
Investigators believe multiple shooters fired numerous shots into a group of people on Magnolia Avenue.
No arrests have been made.
Fitzgerald urged the public to provide any information they have about the shooting to police. Nearby businesses were urged to share surveillance video footage with police.

“There’s no information that is too small,’’ he said. “We know this area is saturated with cameras.”

A large number of police had the streets blocked off as hundreds of people gathered in the popular nightspot neighborhood on Saturday night.

“It’s a beautiful night on a Saturday. This is one of the most popular entertainment districts in Birmingham so you can always expect a crowd,” Fitzgerald said.

“This group of shooters fired on these victims while they were out in the open,’' he said. “This was on a sidewalk or a city street.”