13 injured in Montgomery mass shooting

A hail of gunfire erupted in a crowd of about 1,000 people early Sunday morning at what authorities describe as an unpermitted street party in Montgomery’s North Pass neighborhood. When it was over, hundreds of rounds had been fired, at least nine people were shot and at least four others were injured in the chaos.

Law enforcement recovered more than 350 spent rounds from high-powered rifles and handguns at the scene, Acting Police Chief John Hall said Sunday afternoon in a news conference. As of Sunday evening, no deaths had been linked to the shooting. All of shooting victims had injuries that authorities described as not life-threatening. Three people were injured when they were struck by vehicles leaving the area and one woman was injured by broken glass, police say.

Footage posted to social media showed at least one shot being fired into the air, then an eruption of shooting from multiple types of weapons that lasted about two minutes as crowds ran and people took cover. Rapid semi-automatic gunfire can be heard, and several strings of apparent automatic gunfire can be heard.

Mayor Steven Reed said the city is “blessed” that no one was killed.

“I believe in blessings, and I believe in luck," Reed said. "We were blessed. This could have been much worse.”

Hall said such gatherings need to be permitted through the city, but that this gathering wasn’t permitted. The Montgomery Police Department was aware the party was happening, but officers were responding to a homicide call, a shooting and a robbery before the North Pass call came in, he said.

The 1:48 a.m. call came in to dispatch as shots fired, Hall said. At 1:50 a.m. the call was changed to people shot at the location. The first officers made it to the scene at 1:55 a.m., he said.

The first police on the scene at the area of North Pass Road and Alabama River Parkway found an adult woman and a juvenile boy who had both been shot. Three men, two women and and two other juvenile boys later arrived at a local hospital with gunshot wounds tied to the same shooting, the spokesman said.

A woman and two men later arrived at an emergency room for treatment after being injured in the pedestrian collision, and another woman also arrived at the emergency room after being injured by broken glass, the city confirmed.

Police had not named any of the victims, and no arrests had been made.

Hours after the shooting, the North Pass neighborhood was quiet. Some people milled about outside on a sweltering Sunday but there were few signs of the violence that played out overnight.

More: Second teen charged with capital murder in death of 12-year-old Montgomery girl

It’s been a violent three weeks in the Capital City with the shooting deaths of a 12-year-old girl and a triple homicide at an Hispanic grocery store.

The 12-year-old was shot in the 4100 block of Keating drive in the early hours of May 31, police said. Initially, she was taken to a local hospital for treatment but later transferred to a hospital in Birmingham. She died from her injuries on June 7. A 15-year-old boy and 19-year-old male were later arrested, and each now faces three counts of capital murder in the case.

The teens are being charged with capital murder because the case involves a victim under the age of 12, the fact that the shooting was into an occupied dwelling and from an occupied vehicle court records show. In Alabama, people as young as 14 can be charged with capital murder, but those who were under 18 at the time of the crime cannot face the death penalty. The only other sentencing option for a capital murder conviction is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Police have not released a possible motive in that case.

On June 4, what was believed to be a robbery at Tienda Los Hermanos on Troy Highway turned into a triple homicide that left three men dead.

The shooting killed George Elijah Jr., 50, and Daniel Lopez, 20, at the scene. Romero Lopez, 43, later died at an area hospital, police said.

A string of robberies had rocked the Latino community along Troy Highway. Since May, there have been at least five, said Felix Montelara, an advocate in the community.

No arrests have been made in the shootings. A reward totaling $40,000 is being offered for information that leads to arrests in the case.

More: String of robberies leads to triple homicide in Montgomery, leaders say

For the year, there have been 35 homicides reported in Montgomery, said Maj, Saba Coleman, spokeswoman for the Montgomery Police Department. The have been arrests made in 18 of those cases. In several cases, multiple people have been charged, court documents and police reports show.

Kathryn Nard, who is active in her Montgomery neighborhood of Highland Park, said a shortage of police officers has hurt the community.

“This is why our police department has failed," Nard said.

Reed said members of the community have come forward giving investigators information, but more help is needed.

“This was a senseless act,” Reed said. “It is a crime on our entire community. It is discouraging, disappointing but also frustrating. Law enforcement can’t carry this burden alone. Those in the know about what happened need to come let us know.

“I applaud the members of the community who have come forward. But if you know something, say something."

More: Three Alabama drowning victims identified after Gulf rescue effort

In a statement issued late Sunday, Montgomery City Councilor Julie Beard blasted the recent crime wave and called for city officials to hold an "emergency meeting on our next steps" about public safety.

"We cannot delay any longer or wait on the sidelines," Beard said. "We must aggressively attack to restore trust in our government.

"I urge everyone to report any suspicious activities to the authorities and to support our law enforcement as they work tirelessly to protect us. We are all in this together, and together, we will overcome these challenges and emerge stronger than ever."

This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: 13 injured in Montgomery mass shooting