Alabama Shooting: Police Offer $50,000 Reward For Suspects

Police are offering a $50,000 (£37,400) reward for any information that leads to an arrest as the hunt continues for a group of attackers after a deadly shooting in the US city of Birmingham, Alabama.

Four people were killed, and 17 others were injured in the shooting on Saturday night.

On Monday morning, officials said they were still searching for a suspect, sifting through many tips received from the public.

Investigators have described the attack as a “hit” that involved multiple gunmen who appeared to target a specific individual.

The attack unfolded just after 23:00 local time (05:00 BST) around Magnolia Avenue South, in the Five Points South nightlife district. Local media said it happened as patrons queued to enter a hookah and cigar lounge.

The shooting was characterised by Scott Thurmond, the Birmingham police chief, as “targeted” rather than a random incident.

A number of attackers are alleged to have got out of a vehicle and opened fire on a crowd in a public area before fleeing the scene.

They are alleged to have used “machine gun conversion devices.” Investigators say they have collected about 100 shell casings from the scene, among other evidence.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin blamed “Glock switches” – devices that can be attached to handguns to make them fire automatically – and described these as the “number one public safety issue” in the area.

The hookah lounge, Hush, said it was “heartbroken” that its customers were caught up in the incident – which it stressed had nothing to do with the venue itself.

A woman and three men who were killed have been named by Birmingham police, who said the victims were local to the area:

▪︎Anitra Holloman, 21, from Bessemer
▪︎Tahj Booker, 27, from Birmingham
▪︎Carlos McCain, 27, from Birmingham
▪︎Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr, 26, also from Birmingham
▪︎Holloman, Booker, and McCain were pronounced dead at the scene by emergency officials. Patterson Jr. died after being taken to the hospital.

The person targeted in the “hit” was thought to be among those killed, Mr Thurmond said, without specifying who that individual was.

The police chief said investigators had received information to suggest that “someone was willing to pay money to have that person killed.”

Police say they believe the attack was targeted because several of the victims had extensive criminal histories.

Officials say 17 others were injured, revising down an earlier figure of 18. Their wounds varied in severity, some of them being life-threatening. Many were taken to the hospital. Five people were still in the hospital on Monday, according to authorities.

BBC/Shakirat Sadiq