Shooting in Birmingham, Ala., leaves at least 4 people dead

NPR’s Ayesha Rascoe hears the latest on the shooting from Gulf States Newsroom reporter Drew Hawkins.

AYESHA RASCOE, HOST:

There’s been a shooting overnight in Birmingham, Ala. At least four people are dead and 18 others have been hospitalized according to the police. Reporter Drew Hawkins of the Gulf States Newsroom was on the scene just minutes after the gunfire broke out. Please note our conversation will include descriptions of violence. Drew, thank you so much for joining us.

DREW HAWKINS: Good morning, Ayesha. Thanks for having me.

RASCOE: So these are disturbing details, but what was it like there right after the shooting?

HAWKINS: Yeah. You know, I was actually at the hotel where this happened literally right outside. You know, I woke up to the sound of gunshots. I went to the window. I could see people running, screaming. I went down to see what happened, and, you know, it was a really difficult scene that I encountered multiple bodies on the ground, wrecked vehicles, people screaming and shouting, a lot of blood running down the sidewalk.

You know, this is the Five Points area of Birmingham. It’s a pretty popular nightlife spot with lots of restaurants, bars, and a hookah lounge, and it’s outside that lounge is where the shooting happened. And like I mentioned, the scene was really just pure chaos. Nobody knew what to do or what happened. People were just distraught. You know, one thing that really stands out in the moment was where a man recognized one of the deceased as his sister, and he’s just crying out over and over, she’s dead. She’s dead. And it’s just a really difficult moment.

RASCOE: My goodness. What are police saying about the shooting?

HAWKINS: So at this point, detectives believe the shooting was not random, and they think it stemmed from an isolated incident where multiple victims were caught in the cross fire. At this point, they’re reporting that three men and one woman have died. There was a press conference shortly after the shooting in the early hours in the morning. And here is Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald.

TRUMAN FITZGERALD: From speaking with our officers and speaking with our detectives, we have dozens of gunshot victims from this area. I’m told at least four of those gunshot victims are life-threatened.

HAWKINS: And Ayesha, since then, you know, that dozens number has a little bit – been narrowed down a little bit to 18 wounded at this point, but police do believe that there were multiple shooters here. They all fled the scene, but right now we don’t really know a lot. So we don’t know if it was all on foot, if there was a drive-by shooting – there’s really still a lot to piece together here.

RASCOE: What’s next in this investigation?

HAWKINS: Right. So, you know, they’re at the start of their investigation at this point. They’ll be bringing in partners like the FBI to help out, and, you know, I hate to be a broken record, but there’s just not a ton known at this point. One question that police are addressing is whether the shooters used automatic rifles or a switch, which is a small device that can convert a standard semiautomatic handgun into a fully automatic weapon. And I can tell you that from what I heard was just this constant stream of gunfire, a rapid rate that really sounds like a machine gun. Right now, police are asking businesses for surveillance footage, and they’re also asking residents to share any tips with them.

RASCOE: That’s Drew Hawkins of the Gulf States Newsroom. Thank you so much.

HAWKINS: Thank you, Ayesha.

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