He added that he believed the shootings were “not random and stemmed from isolated incidents where multiple victims were caught in crossfire.”
Mr Fitzgerald also said detectives were working to determine who the intended target of the attack was.
They are also working to find the shooters. Police said in a statement that they are working with the FBI and other federal agencies, are offering a $5,000 reward for information, and have opened a web portal where people can submit photos and video of the incident.
The Five Points South district is known for its nightlife. Fitzgerald said the shooting happened on Magnolia Avenue.
Witnesses who were standing in line outside the Fukawa Cigar Lounge on Magnolia Avenue at the time told local news site Al.com:, external Some of the gunshots sounded as if they were coming from guns that had been converted to fully automatic.
On Sunday morning, Mr Fitzgerald told reporters there had been “dozens” of gunshot wounds following the incident.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin has blamed the violence on “Glock switches,” a device that attaches to handguns to fire them automatically, and posted on social media Sunday that “this is the most critical public safety issue in our city and state.”
“There is no way our country can turn a semi-automatic weapon into a fully automatic weapon that fires all its rounds in seconds,” he said, adding that cities do not have the authority to outlaw Glock switches; only states have the authority to do so.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been more than 400 mass shootings across the United States so far this year., external A mass shooting is defined as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.
