ATF and FBI assist in investigation of massive shooting in Montgomery that left at least 13 people injured

At a press conference Sunday evening, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed spoke with local, state and federal police officials about a shooting that left at least 13 people injured earlier that day.

The shooting occurred around 1:46 a.m. Sunday. Police initially responded to a call of shots fired, and police were dispatched to see multiple gunshot victims. They found an adult female and a juvenile male, both with non-life-threatening gunshot wounds. Several others reported themselves to the hospital for treatment.

RELATED: At least 13 injured in mass shooting on Sunday morning in Montgomery (video)

The shooting came at a time when Reed and other officers are under scrutiny over crime in the city.

SEE: Increase in shootings puts strain on Montgomery’s blood, plasma and other resources – “Sometimes we are very short”

SEE ALSO: Reward for information in Montgomery triple murder reaches $40,000 – police continue to search for answers

At Sunday’s press conference, Acting Police Chief John Hall said the shooting occurred during an unauthorized party, meaning the large crowd spilled onto the streets and other properties. Hall said the MPD was aware of the gathering, but indicated the evening was “a busy night” as there had been a murder, robbery and another shooting shortly before. Police collected over 350 shell casings at the scene, as opposed to the number of 600 originally stated in Reed’s statement.

At the time of this report, law enforcement authorities have neither arrested any of those involved nor announced any suspects.

Reed expressed his disappointment over the shooting and expressed frustration with the lack of citizen involvement in shootings like this one.

“This is a very serious matter and we are concerned for those who have been injured. Our sympathies go out to them and their families, but we need to make sure that our city values ​​life more, values ​​conflict resolution more, values ​​de-escalating situations without pulling a weapon,” he said. “These incidents cannot continue. We will not tolerate this. We will not be satisfied until we have done everything we can at the local, state and federal levels to find those involved in these ongoing incidents.”

“This is not just the job of law enforcement,” Reed continued. “They cannot bear the burden alone. We must take individual responsibility and accountability for what is happening in our city. Those who know what happened need to come forward and tell us who was involved and why. There are anonymous ways to do that, but you cannot expect to live in a safer community if you are part of the problem. We are asking those who are innocent bystanders, who know where some of these individuals live and who know what drives them to engage in this type of activity, to be part of the solution.”

While acknowledging that the city was “lucky” not to face a mass casualty incident, Reed also used the incident to urge state and federal lawmakers to enforce stricter gun laws.

“The sheer number of men and women carrying and using automatic rifles in this city is unacceptable. These rifles are not designed for streets and neighborhoods. We don’t have laws to deal with this, and I would hope that our state and federal leaders who are engaged would be open to common sense gun reform, which we are willing to implement at the city council level; we are willing to do it at the local level. We are willing to forcefully shape some of the ordinances we have passed, and we are willing to work with our local and state delegation to do just that.”

Possession of automatic weapons is currently illegal under federal law unless the person obtains a license and pays fees to the ATF.

To contact the author of this story or to leave a comment, send an email to [email protected].

Don’t miss anything! Subscribe to our newsletter and receive our top stories every weekday morning.