Major manhunt underway after gruesome mass murder in Birmingham: Four dead and at least 18 injured in bloody evening in popular cigar lounge

Police are currently conducting a large-scale manhunt for the perpetrators of a mass shooting that left four people dead in Alabama last night.

On Saturday evening, shortly after 11 p.m., a gun battle broke out in front of the Hush shisha and cigar lounge in Birmingham’s Five Points South entertainment district, injuring at least 18 people.

Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, near the University of Alabama, while a fourth male victim died at the hospital.

Police believe multiple gunmen are responsible for the gruesome mass shooting. However, as of Sunday morning, no suspect has been arrested.

It is believed that the shooting was not random, but was an isolated incident in which several victims were caught in the crossfire.

Birmingham police officer Truman Fitzgerald (pictured) said the shooter either walked toward the victims or drove past them

Birmingham police vehicles near the scene where several people were shot late Saturday

Investigators are looking into whether the shooter, who is still at large, walked toward the victims or drove past them, Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.

“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to track down, identify and hunt down those responsible for the exploitation of our people,” Fitzgerald added.

Crime Stoppers is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information leading to an arrest. Anyone with information is asked to call the Birmingham Police Department Homicide Unit directly at 205-254-1764.

An additional 18 gunshot victims with injuries ranging from non-life-threatening to life-threatening were identified and treated at local hospitals.

The University of Alabama Hospital at Birmingham is treating 11 of the victims, Hannah Echols, a hospital spokeswoman, told CNN.

“We have dozens of gunshot victims from this area,” Fitzgerald said. “I’m told that at least four of these gunshot victims are in critical condition, the others have various injuries.”

While police continue their investigation into the incident, roads in the area have been closed.

Witnesses described a chaotic scene as police attempted to cordon off the area and assist the victims

Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue, near the University of Alabama, while a fourth victim died in the hospital

Fitzgerald said local authorities had contacted the FBI and ATF for assistance.

Birmingham Police have asked businesses in the area to provide them with any surveillance footage they have and have asked the public to contact police with any relevant information.

Five Points South is a popular neighborhood known for its nightlife near the campus of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Fitzgerald said the mass shootings had “more to do with culture than crime,” adding, “We see far too many conflicts decided by gunfire.”

Witnesses described chaotic scenes as police attempted to cordon off the area and assist the victims.

“I didn’t get there until it was just ending because everyone was screaming, there were people crying,” Dajon Singleton told WVTM.

Police believe Glock switches were used in the shooting. These devices allow the gunman to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic when attached to the back of a Glock.

Gunfire broke out outside the Hush shisha and cigar lounge (pictured) in Birmingham as people waited to get in

Two men and a woman were killed at the scene in the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue in the Five Points South neighborhood (pictured) near the University of Alabama.

“Glock switches are the biggest public safety problem in our city and our state. Although they are illegal under federal law, there is no state law banning Glock switches,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday.

“Every mayor, police chief, sheriff and district attorney I know wants Glock switches banned. Converting a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that fires all bullets within seconds does not belong on our streets.”

The U.S. Attorney’s Office and ATF have partnered with Birmingham’s police chief and mayor to launch “Operation Flip the Switch” – a program to remove Glock switches from the streets, WVTM reported.

“Where we used to see a dozen or fewer shell casings at a crime scene, we now see 75 to 100 or even more than 100 at a crime scene because, as you’re about to see, the speed at which these weapons fire the bullets,” said Chief Scott Thurmond.

“These weapons can do a lot of damage very quickly. As the ATF just said, there is no place for these things in our city, our state or our country.”

According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 400 mass shootings in the United States this year. A mass shooting is defined as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.

Enterprise High School and Enterprise Career & Technology Center in Alabama were placed on lockdown after ammunition was found on campus on September 5.

The curfew followed the massacre in Apalachee, which left four people dead and nine others injured.

“Glock switches” (pictured) are modifications that transform handguns into fully automatic weapons

The victims were students Mason Schermerhorn and Christian Angulo, both 14, and teachers Christina Irimie, 53, and Richard Aspinwall, 39.

The suspected shooter, Colt Gray, 14, has been charged with murder.

In southwest Alabama, three people were killed and at least twelve were injured when a May Day party turned violent.

Andre Reid of the Baldwin County Investigation Division told WALA-TV that about 1,000 people were attending the celebration near Stockton on May 11 when an altercation broke out and shots were fired.

Reid said most of the victims were “younger people,” but there was no immediate information on whether any arrests had been made.

“According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an argument broke out, resulting in at least one person firing several shots into the large crowd,” Reid said.