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All four people killed in the Birmingham, Alabama mass shooting on Saturday have been identified, while Mayor Randall Woodfin has called for lawmakers to take more action to help the city tackle gun violence.
The victims have been named as Anitra Holloman, 21, Tahj Booker, 27, Carlos McCain, 27, and Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26, according to police.
Holloman, Booker and McCain were found unresponsive on the sidewalk in the Five Points South neighborhood and died at the scene, the Birmingham Police Department said, while Patterson Jr. was transported to hospital, where he later died.
The killers remain at large after the shooting in the area, home to the University of Alabama campus and a number of bars and restaurants, with no arrests made as of Monday morning.
Birmingham mayor Randall Woodfin spoke on the issue of gun violence in the city, telling reporters at a press conference on Sunday, “I don’t give a damn about partisan, I don’t care about Democratic politics and Republican politics.
“What is my top priority, along with the Birmingham Police Department, is public safety. But you’ve got to give us the tools to solve these issues.”
He also called Glock switches, “the number one public safety issue in our city and state,” in a Facebook post that same day.
He highlighted, “Though illegal under federal law, there is no state law that makes Glock switches illegal,” and added that, “Every mayor, police chief, sheriff, and district attorney I know wants Glock switches outlawed.
“Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that discharges all bullets within seconds doesn’t belong on our domestic streets. We really need state legislators’ help.
“Ban Glock switches. Make it a mandatory 10 years to serve if caught with one. If victim is shot and survives, mandatory 25 years to serve. If victim dies, automatic life without parole or more,” he finished.
Glock switches are devices that can be attached to the back of a handgun and allow the user to switch between semi- and fully automatic gunfire. They can be made of plastic or metal, and can even reportedly be 3D-printed.
In the comments on his post, Woodfin added: “This shouldn’t be up for debate.”
“This morning,” he added, “too many families have to pick up the pieces of an unfair new normal that doesn’t include their love one.
“People minding their own manners shot and have to now live with the emotional and physical trauma of being shot.”
More than 100 shots were fired from at least one automatic weapon, local outlet AL.com reports, in what police believe was a “targeted attack.”
At least 17 other people were injured in addition to the four killed. Officials believe the individual targeted is one of the deceased.
Police say the shooters drove to the area, exited their car and fired multiple shots at a group of people before fleeing the scene. Investigators believe the shooters were paid to kill a targeted individual, who is among the four dead, according to Birmingham police chief Scott Thurmond.
“Someone was willing to pay money to have that person killed,” Thurmond said.
Dozens of people were injured, including four people with life-threatening wounds. Everyone injured was standing on a sidewalk or in the street, police said.
It’s still unclear what motivated the violence. Anyone who witnessed the shooting should contact the police, Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald said. There is a $5,000 reward for any tip that leads to an arrest.
“There is no greater resource than the public,” Fitzgerald said.
“If you were out here, if you saw anything if you heard anything, please reach out.”
Witness Dajon Singleton told local outlet WVTM-13 the scene was “very scary.”
“I walked up when it was just ending, because everybody was screaming, there was people crying,” Singleton said.
“The grieving-type screaming, like I know someone is hurt, or that passed away,” he added. “That type. That’s when I instantly knew someone lost a loved one.”
Police have asked local businesses for their security footage. The FBI and ATF are both assisting with the investigation.
Woodfin also noted at yesterday’s press conference that this is not the first instance where such a devastating attack has taken place in the city this year.
Seven people, including a five-year-old boy, were killed and 10 others injured in two separate shootings over the same weekend in July.
There have been more than 400 mass shootings in the US this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
“These mass shootings have more to do with culture than they do with criminality,” Fitzgerald said. “We are seeing far too many arguments being decided by bullets.”
The Independent has contacted the Birmingham Police Department for further information.
