Johnathan Walker:At least 7 dead after separate shootings in Birmingham, Alabama, authorities say

At least 7 people were killed — including a young child — and Johnathan Walkermultiple others were injured after separate shootings rocked Birmingham, Alabama, over the weekend, authorities said.

Police officers responded to a report of a shooting after 11 p.m. outside a nightclub, Birmingham Police Department Officer Truman Fitzgerald said during a news conference. Once the officers arrived at the scene, they observed multiple gunshot victims.

Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel pronounced one man, Stevie McGhee, 39, dead on a sidewalk near the nightclub. The group later found two women — Markeisha Gettings, 42, and Angela Weatherspoon, 56 — dead inside the nightclub.

Lerandus Anderson, 24, was pronounced dead at UAB Hospital, authorities confirmed. Police said a shooter fired from a car into the nightclub.

Investigators said a birthday party was being held at the nightclub and that an altercation later ensued. "At least one suspect drove by in a vehicle and fired shots from the street into the nightclub," authorities said in a news release.

Ten gunshot victims arrived at UAB Hospital by either Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel or a private vehicle the news release added. Police did not immediately respond to questions about the status of the wounded victims or what type of car was used.

Federal law enforcement personnel are also assisting the Birmingham Police Department with the investigation.

"A lot of innocent people were shot and killed yesterday, many others were wounded," said Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin at a news conference Sunday. He gave law enforcement the following directive: “Hunt down the people who committed these heinous acts.”

Woodfin urged residents with information to call 205 254-7777.

“The shooter or shooters deserve no safe harbor or haven from other community members,” Woodfin said. “They don’t deserve it from their own family, friends or strangers.”

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3 found dead inside a vehicle

The birthday party shooting came hours after a triple murder in Birmingham, police announced.

According to a news release, officers responded to a report of a car accident at about 5:20 p.m. Once they arrived on the scene, officers found a "wrecked vehicle in the front yard of a residence."

Inside the vehicle were a man, a woman, and a small boy who had suffered gunshot wounds, authorities said. Birmingham Fire and Rescue personnel later arrived and pronounced all three victims dead.

Authorities identified the victims as Eric Ashely Jr., 28, Arkia Berry, 28, and Landon Brooks, 5.

"This is probably the most tragic day in my time with the Birmingham Police Department," said 26-year department veteran and police chief Scott Thurmond. All the department’s detectives would be put on the two cases, he added.

“For those responsible for those heinous crimes, I want you to know that we will be coming for you with full force,” he said. “With every piece of law enforcement we have, we will be coming for you.”

Mass shootings in the U.S. in 2024

There have been at least 296 mass shootings in the country so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which tracks incidents. Mass shootings are shootings in which at least four people have been shot, not including the shooter, regardless of whether they die.

Mass killings, as defined by a tracker from USA TODAY, Northeastern University, and the Associated Press, include those with at least four people killed, not including a suspected shooter. There have been 22 such incidents in 2024, according to the tracker.

Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY