MONTGOMERY, Ala. — Rival gunmen started shooting at each other in a crowded downtown nightlife district in Alabama’s capital city Saturday night, killing two people and injuring 12 others, police said.
Montgomery Police Chief James Graboys said three of the injured were hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Police were called around 11:30 p.m. to what Graboys described as a “mass shooting.”
“This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,” Graboys told reporters near the scene.
The shooters, he said, “did not care about the people around them when they did it.”
Police had reported no arrests Sunday morning, and hadn’t released details about how many people had fired or what kinds of weapons had been used.
It was a particularly busy weekend in Montgomery, with Alabama State University’s homecoming football game that day at Hornet Stadium, the Alabama National Fair ongoing at Garrett Coliseum and the Tuskegee University-Morehouse College rivalry football game having just ended at nearby Cramton Bowl.
Mayor Steven Reed told reporters there were police units within 50 feet (15 meters) on both sides when the shooting broke out, but that the shooters “had no regard for human life.”
Graboys said investigators were combing through evidence and interviewing potential suspects, although no one had been charged early Sunday.
“We will do everything we need to gather every bit of evidence to chase down whoever is involved,” Graboys said.
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall issued a statement on social media Sunday morning expressing condolences to the victims and their families and saying the city is in crisis.
“Though the blame lies with those who carelessly pulled the triggers, I continue to be troubled by the city leadership’s stubborn refusal to acknowledge that they have a serious problem,” Marshall said. “While I believe that local law enforcement is doing the best they can, the People of Montgomery deserve leaders who are competent, accountable, and committed to restoring law and order.
“As a resident of Montgomery myself, I remain committed to our efforts to turn this city around and to revisiting the conversation about the state’s authority over its capital.”
Alabama Daily News’ Mary Sell contributed to this report.