Deadly mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama: What we know and don't know

I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M SHERI FALK. ALMOST 48 HOURS AFTER SATURDAY’S MASS SHOOTING OUTSIDE HUSKE HOOKAH LOUNGE, WE HAVE MORE QUESTIONS THAN ANSWERS. THE KILLERS ARE STILL ON THE RUN, AND FAMILIES OF THE FOUR PEOPLE KILLED ARE COPING WITH THEIR NEW REALITY. A LIFE WITHOUT THEIR LOVED ONES. BUT A RAY OF HOPE. AS A DOZEN VICTIMS HURT IN THE SHOOTING ARE OUT OF THE HOSPITAL TONIGHT AND RECOVERING AT HOME. FIVE MORE REMAIN HOSPITALIZED. OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE CONTINUES AT SIX. WE’RE WORKING EVERY ANGLE, INCLUDING THE LATEST ON THE INVESTIGATION AND HOW THE SHOOTINGS ARE IMPACTING SOUTH SIDE. LET’S GET RIGHT TO WVTM 13 LISA CRANE, WHO IS LIVE OUTSIDE? OUTSIDE HUSKE LOUNGE. LISA, YOU SPOKE WITH SOME OF THE VICTIMS FAMILIES TODAY. YEAH I DID. YOU KNOW, YOU CAN SEE THE HUSKE HOOKAH AND CIGAR LOUNGE BEHIND ME HERE, BUT WHAT’S DIFFICULT TO SEE FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE IS RIGHT IN FRONT OF THE LOUNGE. THERE IS A GROWING MEMORIAL FOR THE VICTIMS OF THE ATTACK. NOW, ALL DAY LONG TODAY AND YESTERDAY, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN STOPPING BY DROPPING OFF FLOWERS, CARDS AND BALLOONS AND JUST PRAYING FOR THE VICTIMS AS THEY TRY TO MAKE SENSE OF THIS TRAGEDY. ONE WOMAN WHO STOPPED BY THE MEMORIAL YESTERDAY SAID SHE WAS DEEPLY AFFECTED BY WHAT HAPPENED, BUT ENCOURAGED ALL OF US TO CHOOSE LOVE OVER HATE. THIS IS REALLY PERSONAL TO ME. I CARE ABOUT BIRMINGHAM. JESUS HAS CALLED US TO LOVE EACH OTHER AND TO LOVE OUR CITY. AND WE WANT TO BE KNOWN AS A CITY FOR LOVE AROUND THE WORLD, NOT FOR HATE. NOW BIRMINGHAM POLICE GAVE US AN UPDATE TODAY ON THE SHOOTING AND THEIR INVESTIGATION. WVTM 13 JON PAEPCKE JOINS US NOW LIVE FROM THE BPD’S SOUTH PRECINCT NEARBY. AND JOHN, YOU FOUND OUT SOME INFORMATION TODAY ON SOME OF THE VICTIMS. YOU’RE CORRECT. ACTUALLY, ALAYSHA CHIEF SCOTT THURMOND SAID THAT THEY BELIEVE THE INTENDED TARGET IN THE FIVE POINT SOUTH SHOOTING WAS ONE OF THE FOUR THAT WAS KILLED. SO WE DECIDED TO REACH RESEARCH. EACH OF THEM. NOW, AFTER THE BARRAGE OF BULLETS OUTSIDE THE THE HUSKE HOOKAH LOUNGE ON SATURDAY NIGHT. 21 PEOPLE WERE SHOT, 12 OF WHICH HAVE BEEN RELEASED FROM THE HOSPITAL. FIVE MORE ARE STILL RECEIVING TREATMENT, FOUR OF WHICH WITH LIFE THREATENING INJURIES. BIRMINGHAM’S POLICE CHIEF BELIEVES THE SHOOTER OR SHOOTERS MIGHT HAVE BEEN PAID TO CARRY OUT THE SHOOTING. THEY SUSPECT THE PERSON OF BEING TARGETED WAS AMONG THE FOUR WHO WERE KILLED, SO WE DECIDED TO RESEARCH EACH OF THEIR BACKGROUNDS TO SEE WHAT TURNED UP. WE DID FIND THAT CARLOS MCCANE WAS ARRESTED IN THE MURDER OF A TEEN BACK IN 2016, BUT ACQUITTED BY A JURY TWO YEARS AFTER THAT. RODERICK PATTERSON WAS ALSO CHARGED WITH MURDER IN 2021, BUT THE DA’S OFFICE DISMISSED THE CASE BECAUSE KEY WITNESSES WERE EITHER DEAD UNAVAILABLE OR UNCOOPERATIVE. POLICE ARE LOOKING FOR A MOTIVE IN SATURDAY’S SHOOTING AND CLAIM THAT THESE TWO CASES COULD BE A FACTOR IN A POSSIBLE MURDER FOR HIRE PLOT. SOME OF THE INDIVIDUALS THAT WERE KILLED HAVE EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL HISTORIES, AND BECAUSE OF THAT, THERE’S OFTENTIMES MOTIVATION FROM OTHERS. AND THERE’S PEOPLE WHO ARE WILLING TO PAY TO HAVE THEM KILLED. AND. WELL, TODAY, CRIME STOPPERS ACTUALLY OFFERED A $50,000 REWARD. THAT IS TWICE AS MUCH AS THEIR PREVIOUS HIGH, WHICH WAS 25,000. IN THE CUPCAKE MCKINNEY CASE, A FEW YEARS AGO FOR TIPS THAT WOULD LEAD TO AN ARREST IN THIS CASE. IN FACT, ON TOP OF THAT, THE FBI IS MATCHING THAT OFFER, OFFERING AN ADDITIONAL $50,000 FOR A TIP THAT WOULD LEAD TO AN ARREST AND A CONVICTION IN THE CASE. SO RIGHT NOW, LISA, THERE ARE $100,000 OUT THERE FOR ANYONE THAT’S WILLING TO COME FORWARD. AND ACTUALLY MAKE BIRMINGHAM STREET SAFER. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. SO MUCH, JOHN. HOPEFULLY THAT WILL MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THIS INVESTIGATION. NOW, SOME LOCAL BUSINESSES ARE ALSO FEELING THE IMPACT OF THIS TRAGEDY. WVTM 13 MAGDALA LOUISSAINT JOINS US NOW LIVE IN LOCAL AND MAGDALA. I KNOW AT LEAST ONE BUSINESS HAD TO CLOSE EARLY BECAUSE OF THE SHOOTING. YEAH. LISA THAT’S RIGHT. THE OWNER OF 3000 BARS SPOKE WITH US AND SAYS INCIDENTS THAT HAPPENED ON THAT SIDEWALK. YOU’RE STANDING ON LISA IS SHAMEFUL AND IT HURTS THE BUSINESSES SURROUNDING THIS AREA. WELL, 3000 BAR WAS OPEN ON SATURDAY NIGHT AND THE OWNER SAYS THEY HAD CUSTOMERS INSIDE AT THE TIME OF THE SHOOTING. HE SAID THE CUSTOMERS EMPLOYEES WERE SHAKEN UP AND ONCE HE NOTICED HOW SERIOUS THE INCIDENT WAS, HE HAD NO CHOICE BUT TO CLOSE EARLY. BRIAN HEDRICK SAYS AS ONE OF THE SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH, HE TAKES PRIDE IN PROVIDING A PLACE FOR PEOPLE TO ESCAPE, SOCIALIZE AND ENJOY THEMSELVES. HE SAYS WHAT HAPPENED SATURDAY NIGHT KEEPS HIM UP AT NIGHT. WE’VE BEEN HERE 13 YEARS, BUT ALL IT TAKES IS ONE FOOL THAT DOESN’T KNOW HOW TO HAVE A PEACEFUL CONFLICT RESOLUTION OR WHATEVER THEY HAVE GOING ON, AND IT JUST CHANGES. IT CHANGES YOUR BUSINESS. IT CHANGES YOUR GOOGLE REVIEWS, YOUR YELP REVIEWS, YOUR PUBLIC OPINION. NOW THE FIVE POINTS SOUTH NEIGHBORHOOD PRESIDENT ALSO SPOKE WITH US TODAY, EXPRESSING HIS CONCERNS ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED HERE AND HOW IT COULD IMPACT THE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE THEY’VE BEEN WORKING SEVERAL YEARS TO REVIVE IT AND BRING IT BACK TO LIFE. WELL, HE SAYS, DESPITE ALL OF THAT, THEY ARE OPTIMISTIC AND HOPEFUL THAT THEY WILL CONTINUE TO BRING CHANGES TO FIVE POINTS SOUTH FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. MAGDALA LOUISSAINT BACK TO YOU, LISA. ALL RIGHT. MAGDALA, THANK YOU SO MUCH. NOW, BESIDES THE FOUR PEOPLE WHO WERE KILLED HERE ON SATURDAY NIGHT, 17 OTHERS WERE INJURED. I SPOKE TO THE MOTHER OF ONE OF THOSE SURVIVORS. HER SON WAS SERIOUSLY INJURED IN THE ATTACK. SHE GAVE ME THESE PICTURES OF HER SON. HIS NAME IS RODARIUS EVERSON. HE IS THE COUSIN OF TAJ BOOKER, WHO WAS KILLED IN THE SHOOTING. THEY WERE SIDE BY SIDE IN LINE WHEN THEY WERE GUNNED DOWN. HIS MOTHER TELLS ME HER SON IS IN ICU RIGHT NOW, BUT SHOULD SURVIVE. ANOTHER VICTIM, GABRIEL ISLAM, WAS SHOT IN THE UPPER THIGH ON SATURDAY NIGHT. HE’S ALREADY OUT OF THE HOSPITAL RECOVERING AT HOME. HE SAYS HE’S DEALING WITH A RANGE OF EMOTIONS. LUCKY. BLESSED. BUT IT’S KIND OF BITTERSWEET KNOWING THAT THERE’S PEOPLE WHO WERE NOT LUCKY. I’M VERY, VERY, VERY GRATEFUL THAT I’M STILL HERE. BUT THOSE PEOPLE THAT AREN’T STILL HERE. I DON’T EVEN WANT TO THINK ABOUT THE GRIEF THAT THOSE FAMILIES ARE HAVING TO GO THROUGH RIGHT NOW. NOW, MASS SHOOTINGS IMPACT ENTIRE COMMUNITIES, NOT JUST THOSE WHO SURVIVE IT OR WHO WITNESS IT. AT HIS WEEKLY PRESS BRIEFING, UAB HEAD COACH HEAD FOOTBALL COACH TRENT DILFER SPOKE ABOUT HOW ONE OF HIS PLAYERS WAS IMPACTED BY WHAT HAPPENED HERE ON SATURDAY NIGHT. DILFER SAYS THIS IS FOR THIS CULTURE TO CHANGE THAT KIDS NEED TO HAVE ROLE MODELS, BUT YOU CAN FIX THE NEXT GENERATION. A LOT OF THAT HAPPENS BECAUSE OF ROLE MODELS. YOU NEED YOUNG PEOPLE TO LOOK AND SEE ROLE MODELS AS THOSE THAT ARE GOING TO SCHOOL. GETTING AN EDUCATION, PLAYING A SPORT, PURSUING A PASSION, CHASING THEIR BEST, CLIMBING MOUNTAINS, WHATEVER IT IS NOT THE EASY ROAD, RIGHT? THE THE VIOLENT ROAD, THE SELFISH ROAD. AT JUST MOMENTS AGO, ALABAMA SENATOR KATIE BRITT RELEASED A STATEMENT ABOUT THE SHOOTING, SAYING IN PART, MY HEART IS BROKEN FOR THE FAMILIES OF THE VICTIMS IN BIRMINGHAM. I KNOW ALABAMIANS ACROSS OUR STATE JOIN ME IN PRAYER FOR THEIR LOVED ONES AND ARE MOURNING THIS TRAGEDY ALONGSIDE OUR NEIGHBORS. THIS KIND OF SENSELESS VIOLENCE HAS NO PLACE IN AMERICA, AND WE WANT TO JUST NOW QUICKLY RECAP THE SEARCH FOR THE SUSPECTS IN THIS DEADLY MASS SHOOTING. THAT SHOOTING HAPPENED LATE SATURDAY NIGHT OUTSIDE HUSKE HOOKAH AND CIGAR LOUNGE HERE ON MAGNOLIA AVENUE AROUND 11:00. POLICE BELIEVE MULTIPLE SHOOTERS TARGETED ONE PERSON, BUT ACTUALLY ENDED UP SHOOTING 21 PEOPLE. ANITRA HOLLOMAN, TAJ BOOKER AND CARLOS MCCANE DIED AT THE SCENE. RODERICK PATTERSON DIED AT UAB HOSPITAL LESS THAN AN HOUR LATER, AND SINCE THE SHOOTING, POLICE HAVE RECEIVED DOZENS OF TIPS. BUT THE SHOOTERS ARE STILL ON THE LOOSE. NOW, IF YOU HAVE ANY INFORMATION YOU WANT TO SUBMIT TO BIRMINGHAM POLICE, ALL YOU HAVE TO DO IS TAKE OUT YOUR PHONE RIGHT NOW AND SCAN THE QR CODE THAT YOU SEE THERE ON YOUR SCREEN. OR YOU CAN VISIT OUR WEBSITE OR OUR FREE APP. LIVE I