Birmingham shootings leave seven dead, more injured

Officers responded to a report of a car accident on Saturday shortly after 5 p.m., and found three gunshot victims inside the vehicle, according to the Birmingham Police Department. Fire and rescue personnel pronounced the victims dead at the scene. They included a man, woman, and a boy around 5 years old.

Shortly after 11 p.m. Saturday, officers responded to reports of a shooting at a Birmingham nightclub, according to the Birmingham Police Department. A suspect drove past the nightclub, firing shots from the street, police said. Four people were killed, and several others injured and taken to a local hospital.

These deaths marked the 75th-81st murder investigations of 2024 in Birmingham, according to a news release.

What is Birmingham doing about it? The Birmingham Police Department directed all of its detectives to investigate both of the shootings, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said in a press conference Sunday. He called the shootings unacceptable, and warned the perpetrators that the full weight of the department was dedicated to finding them.

Thurmond stressed that both shootings were targeted events, saying that meant there were members of the community who have information about the perpetrators.

Mayor Randall Woodfin said in the press conference that tracking down the shooter or shooters was the police department and its partners’ one priority. Woodfin and Thurmond called on the community for informational tips and support.

Dig deeper: Read a WORLD Magazine report by Addie Offereins, and Adel Kuchyk about community-based violence interruption programs designed to help prevent violence in America's cities.