By james art BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Authorities in Birmingham have arrested a man in connection with a September mass shooting that killed four people and injured 17 others in the city’s entertainment district. Police also charged the suspect in two separate cases of murder.
Damien McDaniel, 22, of Fairfield, faces charges of capital murder and 17 counts of attempted murder in the mass shooting, according to Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond. He faces additional charges of murder and three counts of attempted murder in the murders of two other people.
On Sept. 21, multiple shooters opened fire on a crowd in the bustling Five Points South Entertainment District, police said at the time. Thurmond earlier described the shooting as a “hit,” saying one person was targeted and multiple bystanders were caught in the crossfire.
As a result of the shooting, the police removed more than 100 shells from the scene. The fatal victims were identified as Anitra Holman, 21, Taj Booker, 27, Carlos McCain, 27, and Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr., 26.
At a news conference Wednesday, Thurmond said the investigation into the mass shooting and other cases involving McDaniel is ongoing.
“In the wake of the horrific shooting in Five Points South, we have pledged that our priority will be to find, capture and arrest every person responsible for this heinous and brazen mass shooting,” Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin said in a statement Wednesday. “Today was a big step towards justice.
more: Birmingham mass shooting: Police identify victims as search for suspects continues
McDaniel is charged with 2 other murders
Authorities charged McDaniel with two murders that occurred days after the mass shooting last month.
On September 19th, Diontraneth Brown, 35, was shot and killed in a bar in downtown Birmingham. Police said she was an innocent bystander. McDaniel has so far been named the only suspect and faces multiple murder charges in the case.
Then, on Sept. 22, police say McDaniel was involved in the slaying of Jamark Deshaun McIntyre, who was found fatally shot on a sidewalk northeast of downtown Birmingham. McDaniel is charged with first degree murder and three counts of attempted murder. Three more suspects were arrested in the case.
McDaniel is being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.
Mayor: Gun violence at ‘epidemic level’ in Birmingham
The Birmingham attack was one of at least 420 mass shootings in the U.S. this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, a nonprofit organization that defines mass shootings as incidents involving four or more victims.
The incident was also one of the latest shootings to rock the city of Birmingham. In July, four people were killed in a shooting at a nightclub. That same month, three people, including a 5-year-old child, were killed in a shooting.
After the mass shooting, Woodfin said in a statement that gun violence in Birmingham was at “epidemic levels,” adding that he wanted to “work with the state to solve this problem.”
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Suspect arrested in Alabama shooting, charged with other murders