After Birmingham mass shooting, neighbors worry for safety, future of 5 Points: ‘Makes me sick’

Derek Gunn was drinking beers with his friends on the front porch of Dave’s Pub in Five Points South like he does several nights each week when he heard a few pops a little after 11 p.m. on Saturday.

At first, he thought it was fireworks.

But then, it sounded more like a power drill, as dozens of shots rang out one after the other in the Birmingham entertainment district, outside of what he would later realize was the Hush Lounge on Magnolia Avenue, a block away.

“It was mass panic,” said Gunn, who is a manager at Saw’s BBQ in Avondale. “We didn’t know where it was coming from.”

Gunn, 55, said he and other patrons at Dave’s Pub hit the ground and Army crawled into the bar. He turned back to look and said when he stopped hearing gunshots, he saw a car move through the street.

He was worried that the vehicle might have the shooter or shooters inside, and that they had more targets. He called out to the patrons crowded inside the bar, urging them to move to the back away from the windows. He said it was another five minutes before police arrived on the scene, which he said felt longer than it should have been, especially since the Birmingham Police Department has a precinct just two blocks away.

“It makes me sick. It’s like somebody walked into my house and shot my cat,” said Gunn, who said he’s lived in the city his whole life. “It’s personal, the fact that I live in Birmingham. I don’t want us on the news for this.”

Five Points South is an eclectic cluster of bars, restaurants, novelty shops and churches. In recent years, though, as other parts of Birmingham have seen new investment, though, the neighborhood has struggled.

Gunn said he still loves spending time in Five Points South, used to run a pizza restaurant there and as a teenager he would hang out by the Frank Fleming fountain with his friends. He’s worried about his safety, but he doesn’t want to stop spending time in the neighborhood.

“If I stop coming and everybody stops coming in, then they won,” he said. “This is going to affect people’s bottom line. People are not going to want to go to Southside anymore. We’ve got a problem here, y’all. Let’s do something, please.”

On Saturday night, police say suspects pulled up in a vehicle, jumped out, fired multiple shots into a crowd as a line of people stood waiting to get into Hush, a hookah and cigar lounge, on the 2000 block of Magnolia Avenue South. Then, they jumped back into the car and fled.

Four people were killed. Two men and a woman, identified as Antria Holloman, 21, Tahj Booker, 27, and Carlos McCain, 27, died on the scene. Another man who died at UAB Hospital.

At least 17 others, including Gabriel Eslami, were injured.

Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond said that more than 100 shell casings were collected at the scene, and the shooting may have been a murder-for-hire. So far this year, Birmingham has had 122 homicides, and is on track to outpace its 1933 record of 148 deaths.

Anthony Ford, a Birmingham resident, hangs out in Five Points multiple nights a week. It’s a home base for him. He’s worked in the service industry at various restaurants and bars, including as a previous barback for the Eighty Eight, owned by the same owner as Hush Lounge.

Because of his comfort level and presence in the neighborhood, he knows a lot of people, including security staff at the bars surrounding Hush. And that means he often gets called over to help break up fights.

Ford said he’s broken up fights at Hush Lounge at least five times, he said, and intervened in dozens more arguments. Last fall, he said a patron at Hush ran out, jumped in his car, pulled up in front of the lounge and pointed his gun at Ford.

“I’ve been telling folks that Hush needs to be shut down for a long time, and folks need to get on board,” he said. “We’ve never had this kind of problem. There was never this kind of energy there until Hush came along.”

On Saturday night, Ford said he was inside the Upside Down Plaza next to Hush when the gunfire started and security locked entrances to the bar and shut off the lights to keep patrons safe. He waited about 30 minutes before he left to check out the scene, where he saw swarming police officers, chaos and the area completely shut down.

Ford said it wasn’t his first close call with gun violence. His girlfriend was shot and killed in her home in 2022. The experience was so familiar that he just started looking around to make sure the other patrons were okay.

“I kind of just resigned to stand still,” he said. “It’s why I kept trying to prevent these fights, because I could see where it could go.”

Ford said he believes that the frequent fights and escalations at Hush have been ignored by the Birmingham Police Department because of the owner’s affiliation. Ryan Pryor, who opened Hush Lounge in 2019, retired from the Birmingham Police Department after 20 years as a patrolman in March.

“The main thing I feel right now is anger and embarrassment,” Ford said. “This was easily preventable and predictable. None of this had to happen.”

Read more: Birmingham 5 Points South mass shooting kills 4: What we know today as manhunt continues

Wil Jones, who has served as neighborhood president for Five Points South for two years, said that the shooting’s impact on the local business community is secondary to the cost to human lives. But he said that the business impact will certainly be “tremendous.”

“We were kind of on a rebound here, and it looks like that’s just got reset two years,” he said. “You should be able to go out and enjoy yourself without worrying that you’re going to get shot. That’s tragic.”

Jones was on the porch at Dave’s Pub, too, when he “heard gunshots and saw commotion.” Since then, he said he’s heard from business owners and residents in the neighborhood who say they’re “extremely angry.”

“There are a lot of people doing the right thing, who are really passionate about this neighborhood getting back to its glory days, and a lot of people here having a good time in a safe environment,” Jones said. “We will accomplish that goal.”

Rev. Julie Conrady, leader of an interfaith group in Birmingham, said in a Facebook post calling for Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey to grant Birmingham “home rule,” or more legal authority to address gun violence.

“Every society deserves to live in safety, and when our schools and churches, nightclubs and hookah bars, movie theatres and grocery stores are not safe, then we are in fact at war, living under the constant threat of terrorism,” Conrady said in a statement on behalf of Southside Faith Communities. “Gun violence has a long history in Birmingham, and we pray and work toward a future where Birmingham becomes the Magic City where all are safe to work, play, and thrive.”

Police have not yet identified suspects, but are asking people for help.

“Last night what happened in our community was extremely unfortunate,’’ Mayor Randall Woodfin told media. “The priority is to find these shooters and get them off our streets. That will require the assistance of community members.”

“If you know something, you need to speak up because this not snitching campaign is stupid,” Ford said. “Snitch away. The only way we can be safe is to get rid of people who are hurting our community.”

By Sunday evening, a fire crew had washed blood off of the sidewalk. As the sun set on another late summer night, the neighborhood was subdued, but restaurants were open and couriers drove in and out. Red and orange flowers lay outside of Hush.

Brian Shelton, who had driven up from Pike Road with his wife to see places they visited when they used to live in Birmingham, said it was “kind of nostalgic” to be in Five Points, and that he wasn’t worried about safety.

A nearby apartment complex checked in with residents and offered contacts for mental health resources.

“We want to address a serious incident that occurred last night outside our community, where a shooting took place, and many innocent people lost their lives. We understand this may be distressing news,” Hayley Palmeter, a community manager for Tower on Tenth wrote. “We are in contact with law enforcement and are reviewing our security measures to enhance safety within our community.”

Slide Café, a restaurant in Five Points South, posted a statement on Instagram sending condolences to the victims’ loved ones and stating that they would be open for business during their normal brunch hours.

“This incident happened while we were closed and we do not feel this poses any threat to our establishment,” the statement reads. “Let’s come together today as we always do to celebrate family, friends and life, over good food and good vibes.”

On Sunday morning, Highlands United Methodist Church in Five Points South posted on Facebook encouraging its members to attend church via livestream if they weren’t comfortable attending in person.

“We are deeply saddened and shocked by the fatal shooting that took place in our beloved Five Points South neighborhood late last night,” the post reads. “As a community of faith we grieve with the families and friends of the victims, and pray for peace, justice, and an end to gun violence.”

Lindsay Bolcar, an employee at the University of Birmingham, goes to the fountain in the Five Points’ main intersection each weekend to serve meals to people who are homeless.

She decided to return there Sunday afternoon to check on her friends. “My immediate reaction to the news was a gut-wrenching sadness,” she said. “They are my friends, and they’re usually the first to be hurt when things like this happen in the community.”

Local and federal agents are still searching for people with information about the deadly mass shooting. You can submit information to police here. You can also call investigators at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.

Alaina Bookman and Ruth Serven Smith contributed reporting.