Suspect arrested in a mass shooting in Birmingham that left four dead and 17 injured is also charged with two other murders

CNN
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A 22-year-old man was arrested and charged with murder last month in Birmingham, Alabama, in connection with three cases, including a mass shooting that left four people dead and 17 others injured in the city’s busy entertainment district, police said.

The suspect, Damien McDaniel, faces one count of murder – a charge that involves killing two or more people – and 17 counts of first-degree assault in the Sept. 21 mass shooting, police said Birmingham on Wednesday with.

Police Chief Scott Thurmond did not provide details about the allegations against McDaniel, but police said he was arrested in connection with the deaths of all four people killed in the attack: Anitra Holloman, Tahj Booker, Carlos McCain and Roderick Patterson Jr.

McDaniel is being held without bail in the Jefferson County Jail. CNN was unable to determine whether he has an attorney.

At the time of the attack, police said, several gunmen drove into the city’s busy Five Points South neighborhood, got out of their vehicle and opened fire. Investigators had previously said it appeared to be a targeted “attack,” but Thurmond declined to discuss the motive on Wednesday.

“Today was a huge step toward justice,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement after the arrest. “After the horrific shooting in Five Points South, we vowed that our priority would be to find, capture and arrest every person responsible for this heinous and brazen mass shooting.”

“We told you we would do this, and we did,” the mayor added.

Thurmond would not confirm whether there are other suspects in the case, saying the investigation is “ongoing.”

McDaniel is also charged with murdering two other people within days of the mass shooting, police said. It is unclear whether the cases are related.

On Sept. 19, McDaniel is accused of killing 35-year-old Diontranet Brown, who was shot at the 604 Bar and Lounge, the police chief said. Investigators initially believed it was a targeted shooting, but the police chief said Wednesday that Brown appeared to be an innocent bystander.

Then, within 24 hours of the mass shooting, police said McDaniel was linked to the shooting of Jamarcus McIntyre, who was found fatally shot on a sidewalk. McDaniel is charged with murder in the commission of a robbery and three counts of attempted murder in the case, and three other suspects have also been charged, police said.

More than 300 tips were received from the community that were “extremely helpful” in the cases, Thurmond said.

After the mass shooting, the mayor said gun violence had reached “epidemic levels” in Birmingham.

The incident is among more than 420 mass shootings in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive. The archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.

While crime rates are falling nationally, Birmingham saw an increase earlier this year.

FBI data shows murder rates nationwide fell by more than 26% in the first three months of 2024 compared to the same period in 2023. As of March 4, Birmingham police reported 17 murders this year, compared to 12 during the same period last year. an increase of 41.7%.