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Seven people, including a five-year-old boy, were killed and 10 others injured in two separate shootings in Birmingham, Alabama this weekend.
Four people were killed and at least ten injured in a drive-by shooting at a nightclub on Saturday night. The deceased were identified as Angela Weatherspoon, 56, Markeisha Gettings, 42, Stevie McGhee, 39 and Lerandus Anderson, 24.
Earlier that day, police found two adults and a small child in a wrecked car in the Echo Highlands area. All three had suffered gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead.
They were identified as Eric Ashley Jr, 28, Arkia Berry, 28, and her five-year-old son Landon Brooks.
“From my almost 26 years, having seven murdered in a day, 10 injured, I think that’s probably the most tragic day in my time with the Birmingham Police Department,” Scott Thurmond, the chief of police, said at a press conference on Sunday.
No arrests have been made but the police chief said that both incidents were “not random shootings” and were targeted toward specific individuals.
Investigations are underway and police asked for the public to come forward with more information.
“We know 100% there are people who know who is responsible, and what happened,’’ Thurmond said. “We need that information.”
The shooting at the Birmingham nightclub marks the 294th mass shooting in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The database defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four victims were shot and either injured or killed, not including the shooter.
Police believe the shooting spurred from an altercation inside the club where a birthday party was being held.
Police believe that at around 11:00pm at least one suspect fired a gun from the street into the nightclub. McGhee was found outside the club on the sidewalk while Gettings and Weatherspoon were inside the club. Anderson was pronounced dead upon arrival at a local hospital.
Ten other people who were injured and are being treated in hospital, ranging from stable to critical condition.
The police chief urged the community to come forward with information to assist in their investigation.
“The challenge is how does law enforcement or government change the behavior of adults? How do you change the behavior of someone who uses a firearm to resolve all of their issues?” Thurmond said. “That’ s very difficult. That’s the underlying issue.”
