CONTINUES RIGHT NOW. LATE BREAKING NEWS. WE’RE GETTING NEW INFORMATION ON SATURDAY NIGHT’S DEADLY MASS SHOOTING IN SOUTHSIDE. THANKS FOR JOINING US TONIGHT. I’M GUY RAWLINGS AND I’M SHERI FALK. WE HAVE LIVE TEAM COVERAGE WITH WVTM 13 GLADYS BAUTISTA AND BRYCE OSELEN. THEY’VE BEEN WORKING ALL AFTERNOON GATHERING INFORMATION ON THIS INVESTIGATION PLUS REACTION FROM COMMUNITY LEADERS. LET’S GET YOU CAUGHT UP ON THE FACTS. LAST NIGHT, JUST AFTER 11:00, POLICE SAY A GROUP OF SHOOTERS JUMPED OUT OF A CAR AND OPENED FIRE OUTSIDE THE HUSH HOOKAH AND CIGAR LOUNGE. THE GUNMAN IS STILL ON THE RUN. AT LAST CHECK. FOUR PEOPLE ARE DEAD. 17 OTHERS HURT AND RECOVERING. TONIGHT. INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE THE SHOOTING WAS A HIT JOB AND SAY THE PERSON TARGETED WAS KILLED. IN ALL, POLICE SAY THE KILLERS FIRED 100 ROUNDS OF AMMO. POLICE NEED YOUR HELP TONIGHT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN IS A QR CODE. YOU CAN SCAN TO GIVE POLICE ANY INFORMATION THAT HELPS THEM ARREST THE GUNMAN. IN THIS CASE, WE WANT TO BEGIN OUR LIVE TEAM COVERAGE WITH WVTM 13 GLADYS BAUTISTA LIVE AND LOCAL. FROM THE SCENE IN FIVE POINTS GLADYS. THIS IS THE AREA STILL CLOSED OFF TO TRAFFIC. WELL, I JUST SAW A CAR BEHIND YOU KNOW, THE AREA RIGHT NOW IS OPEN TO TRAFFIC AND WE’VE SEEN PEOPLE COMING THROUGH HERE GOING A LITTLE BIT SLOWER AS THEY PASS HUSH LOUNGE TO TAKE A LOOK AT WHERE THIS CARNAGE TOOK PLACE YESTERDAY, A MUCH DIFFERENT SCENE THAN WHAT WE SAW YESTERDAY AS I WAS ON MY WAY INTO THE STUDIO, I PASSED THROUGH HERE AND POLICE TOLD ME THAT THEY HAD MUCH OF THE AREA BLOCKED OFF SO THAT EMERGENCY VEHICLES COULD COME IN AND OUT. THOSE AMBULANCES COULD GET TO WHERE THEY NEEDED TO GET AND THEN GET BACK TO THE HOSPITAL. HERE IS WHAT THE SCENE LOOKED LIKE YESTERDAY. THERE WAS CRIME SCENE TAPE EVERYWHERE. POLICE VEHICLES EVERYWHERE. POLICE SAY MORE THAN 100 SHOTS WERE FIRED INTO A CROWD OF PEOPLE OUTSIDE HUSH LOUNGE. MANY PEOPLE WHO TOOK VIDEO OF THE SCENE POSTED THEM TO SOCIAL MEDIA. IT IS COMPLETELY FLOODED WITH THOSE VIDEOS AND THEY HELP PAINT THE PICTURE OF THE ABSOLUTE TERROR AND CHAOS RIGHT AFTER THE SHOOTING. MANY PEOPLE ON THE SIDEWALK RUSHING TO HELP THOSE INJURED. POLICE TODAY SAID THERE WERE MULTIPLE SHOOTERS IN THE AFTERMATH. WE LEARNED THREE PEOPLE, TWO MEN AND A WOMAN, WERE PRONOUNCED DEAD ON THE SCENE. A FOURTH DIED AT THE HOSPITAL. ONE OF THOSE DEAD IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN THE TARGET OF THE SHOOTING. IN WHAT INVESTIGATORS BELIEVE WAS A MURDER FOR HIRE, 21 PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN TOTAL, FOUR CRITICALLY. IT ALL HAPPENED AROUND 11 AT NIGHT, A TIME WHEN THIS AREA WAS PACKED. WE ALL KNOW FIVE POINTS OUT TO BE AN AREA WHERE THERE’S A LOT OF BUSINESSES, NIGHTCLUBS, RESTAURANTS. WE SPOKE TO A WITNESS MOMENTS AFTER THE SHOOTING ABOUT THE AFTERMATH. I WALKED UP WHEN IT WAS LIKE JUST ENDED BECAUSE EVERYBODY WAS SCREAMING. THERE WAS PEOPLE CRYING, POLICE OFFICERS. THEY WAS TRYING TO GET INFORMATION FROM DIFFERENT PEOPLE, SO THEY JUST WAS TRYING TO DO THEIR JOB AND I GUESS GET THE AID AND INFORMATION THAT THEY NEED. AND IT WAS LITERALLY PROBABLY ABOUT 6 TO 7 PEOPLE, MALES AND FEMALES, THAT WAS COMING OUT ON STRETCHERS. AND IT WAS AMBULANCE COMING BACK TO BACK. SO YEAH, SO DEFINITELY A REALLY CHAOTIC SCENE, NOT ONLY FOR THOSE THAT WERE INJURED OR WERE HERE WHEN THOSE SHOTS WERE FIRED, BUT FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICIALS AS WELL. I CAN TELL YOU THAT WITHIN THE LAST HOUR, WE HAVE SEEN PEOPLE COME BY HERE AND PUT FLOWERS IN FRONT OF HUSH LOUNGE. YOU CAN’T REALLY SEE THEM BECAUSE OF THIS VEHICLE, BUT WE’LL HAVE A PICTURE UP ON SOCIAL MEDIA TO SHOW YOU. PEOPLE ALREADY COMING BY TO MEMORIALIZE THOSE VICTIMS AND WISHING THAT THOSE ARE INJURED, HAVE A FULL RECOVERY. FOR NOW, WE’RE LIVE IN THE FIVE POINTS NEIGHBORHOOD FOR YOU TONIGHT. I’M GLADYS BAUTISTA WVTM 13. ALL RIGHT. GLADYS WILL. OF COURSE, TIME IS CRUCIAL RIGHT NOW AS POLICE CONTINUE TO HUNT DOWN ANY PIECE OF INFORMATION THAT WILL CATCH THESE KILLERS. BUT OF COURSE, THEY NEED YOUR HELP. BIRMINGHAM POLICE SET UP AN EVIDENCE PORTAL WHERE ANYONE CAN GIVE INFORMATION AND STAY ANONYMOUS. BIRMINGHAM MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN SAYS IF YOU KNOW SOMETHING, YOU MUST COME FORWARD. I THINK THERE ARE MANY THINGS WE CAN DO. THE FIRST THING AND THE PRIORITY IS TO GET THE SHOOTERS, FIND THESE SHOOTERS AND GET THEM OFF OUR STREETS. THAT WILL REQUIRE THE ASSISTANCE OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS, NOT JUST FROM LAST NIGHT, BUT ANYONE WHO WILL HAVE ANY INFORMATION RELATED TO THE WHEREABOUTS OF THESE SHOOTERS. I THINK IT’S CRITICALLY, CRITICALLY IMPORTANT FOR US TO BE IN A POSITION TO BEST SOLVE THIS CASE FOR COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO STEP FORWARD, I WANT TO STRESS THAT YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. ALL RIGHT, HERE’S THAT QR CODE WE HAVE IT AT THE BOTTOM OF YOUR SCREEN AS WELL. YOU CAN ALSO CALL CRIME STOPPERS AT (200) 525-4777 SEVEN. AGAIN YOU CAN REMAIN ANONYMOUS. WELL, CONGRESSWOMAN TERRI SEWELL RESPONDING TODAY AS WELL TO THE MASS SHOOTING INVESTIGATION. SHE SAYS SHE’S HEARTBROKEN BY LAST NIGHT’S TRAGEDY EXTENDING HER CONDOLENCES TO THE VICTIMS FAMILIES AND A SPEEDY RECOVERY TO THOSE WHO WERE HURT. SHE ALSO CALLED THE SHOOTING SENSELESS AND CALLS ON ELECTED OFFICIALS TO DO ALL THEY CAN TO BREAK THE CYCLE OF VIOLENCE, THE PAIN AND LOSS FROM THIS LATEST MASS SHOOTING IS UNIMAGINABLE, AND MANY WILL GO TO SLEEP TONIGHT TO WAKE UP TO A NEW REALITY, ONE WHERE THEY’VE EXPERIENCED FIRSTHAND HOW QUICKLY GUN VIOLENCE CAN CHANGE EVERYTHING. THE CONVERSATION OVER GUN VIOLENCE IS ONCE AGAIN FRONT AND CENTER IN BIRMINGHAM, AT THE HEART OF THE DEBATE. ASSAULT WEAPONS, GLOCK SWITCHES AND GUN CONVERSIONS DURING THIS MORNING’S NEWS CONFERENCE, MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN SAID THAT WE OWE IT TO THE VICTIMS. THE FAMILIES OF THOSE WHO DIED AND OUR COMMUNITY TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITY SAFER. BUT HE ALSO SAID THE SOLUTION GOES BEYOND JUST POLICE WORK. IT’S ABOUT EVERYONE ON EVERY LEVEL COMING TOGETHER. DO NOT TELL ME THIS IS NOT SOLVABLE AND AT THE SAME TIME DO NOT TELL ME THIS IS ONLY ON THE POLICE. TO SOLVE. ELECTED OFFICIALS LOCALLY, STATEWIDE AND NATIONALLY HAVE A DUTY TO SOLVE THIS AMERICAN CRISIS. THIS AMERICAN EPIDEMIC OF GUN VIOLENCE. WE SHOULD NOT ALLOW PEOPLE TO JUST RIDE AROUND WITH ANY STYLE TYPE OF WEAPON THAT DOESN’T EVEN BELONG ON DOMESTIC STREETS. IT SHOULD NOT BE ALLOWABLE, PERIOD. I DON’T CARE WHAT YOUR POLITICS ARE. SO I SAID A LOT. PROBABLY SAID TOO MUCH. IF YOU’RE OFFENDED BY IT, I DON’T CARE. WE HAVE A JOB TO DO. WE WANT TO GET THESE SHOOTERS AND KILLERS OFF THE STREET. AND POLICE BELIEVE THAT GLOCK SWITCHES WERE USED DURING THE TRAGIC SHOOTING. THIS GIVES A PERSON THE ABILITY TO SWITCH BETWEEN A SEMIAUTOMATIC SHOT OR FULLY AUTOMATIC ONES. BPD LAUNCHED OPERATION FLIP SWITCH, WHICH MAKES CARRYING ONE OF THESE GUNS ILLEGAL. MAYOR RANDALL WOODFIN IS CALLING FOR OFFENDERS TO SPEND AT LEAST TEN YEARS IN FEDERAL PRISON. COMMUNITY LEADERS CLEARLY SADDENED AND EXHAUSTED BY THIS, CONTINUED CYCLE OF VIOLENCE, JUST LIKE THE REST OF US. WVTM 13 S BRYCE OSELEN SPOKE WITH A LOCAL FAITH LEADER AND JOINS US NOW LIVE. BRYCE, WHAT ARE LEADERS SAYING? LOCAL FAITH LEADERS SAY THEY ARE PRAYING LONG AND HARD AFTER A RECENT MASS SHOOTING THAT TOOK PLACE IN THE CITY OF BIRMINGHAM. NOW, ACCORDING TO POLICE, THE SHOOTING TOOK PLACE JUST AFTER 11 P.M. SATURDAY IN FIVE POINTS SOUTH. THE SHOOTING. THE SHOOTING RESULTED IN FOUR DEATHS AND DOZENS INJURED. LOCAL FAITH LEADERS SAY THEY ARE HOPING TO USE THEIR FAITH TO UPLIFT THE COMMUNITY. IT LOOKS LIKE THAT CRIME AND MURDER HAS A STRONGHOLD ON OUR SOCIETY. WELL, OUR ONLY RESPONSIBILITY FROM A CHRISTIAN PERSPECTIVE IS TO ONLY SAY WHAT GOD SAID. AND SO, AS ONE PREACHER USED TO SEVERAL YEARS, WE’RE KEEPING HOPE ALIVE. LEADERS SAY THEY PLAN TO MAKE THEMSELVES AVAILABLE AROUND THE CLOCK FOR PEOPLE LOOKING TO RECEIVE PRAYERS DURING THIS TIME. LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM. BRYCE OLSON, WVTM 13. WELL, OUR COVERAGE OF SATURDAY’S MASS SHOOTING DOESN’T END HERE. COMING UP RIGHT AFTER THIS NEWSCAST, NBC NIGHTLY NEWS IS LIVE IN BIRMINGHAM. THEY SPOKE WITH A WITNESS WHO WAS NEARBY WHEN THE SHOOTING HAPPENED. HE TELLS NBC’S PRIYA SCHIEFFER THAT HE’S ANGRY WITH THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THEIR RESPONSE TIME. I’M ANGRY AT THE AND AS WELL AS SOME OF MY FRIENDS AT THE RESPONSE TIME AT THE BIRMINGHAM POLICE. IT JUST THE POLICE STATION IS LITERALLY THREE BLOCKS AWAY. WHY WEREN’T THEY JUST OUT WALKING AROUND AND JUST THERE’S THERE’S PEOPLE LET’S, LET’S, YOU KNOW, KEEP THE PEACE. I GUESS. I DON’T KNOW, THAT WAS MY THING IS, IS WHY HAVE WE LET IT GO UP THIS FAR? JOIN US AFTER THE GAME. WE’LL CONTINUE WORKING THIS STORY ALL EVENING AND BRING YOU THE LATEST ON WVTM 13 NEWS. RIGHT AFTER SUNDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL. WE HAVE ALSO COMPILED A COMPLETE LOOK AT THE FIVE POINTS MASS SHOOTING ON OUR WEBSITE. WVTM 13.COM. THERE YOU WILL FIND ALL OF OUR STORIES AND THE LATEST INFORMATION ON THE CASE. PLUS, WE HAVE A BREAKDOWN OF TODAY’S NEWS CONFERENCE. MAKE SURE THAT YOU DOWNLOAD THE FREE WVTM 13 APP. YOU CAN SIGN UP FOR OUR PUSH NOTIFICATIONS SO YOU CAN BE THE FIRST TO RECEIVE LAT

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Police say Glock switches used in Birmingham mass shooting: Here’s what they are

LIVE UPDATES | WHAT WE KNOW | WITNESS | BIRMINGHAM MAYOR | THE NEXT MORNINGPolice believe Glock switches were used in a mass shooting that happened Saturday in downtown Birmingham. At least four people were killed and 17 others were shot, according to police.>> THE LATEST: Police investigate mass shooting in BirminghamSo what are Glock switches? These devices are easily concealable, measuring at only about an inch long, and can be made of metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer.When attached to the back of a Glock, the user is given the ability to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic. The National Firearms Act classifies the switch itself as a machine gun. Operation 'Flip the Switch' Since July, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF joined Birmingham's police chief and mayor to announce "Operation Flip the Switch."The program is focusing on getting machine gun conversion devices like auto sears, also known as Glock switches, off the streets. >> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrests for Glock switch operation“Machine gun conversion devices have no place in our community," said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. "Though small in size, a switch is deadly, and a lot of innocent people can be injured with one pull of the trigger. People should feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. That is why we will use every tool in our toolbox to aggressively prosecute those who possess such deadly devices.”Operation Flip the Switch is set to focus on three areas: prioritizing the prosecutions, partnering with and training state and local law enforcement and increasing public awareness so that citizens know what they look like and how they operate in order to report one.Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards for information that leads to the arrest of those that either possess a Glock switch or a 3D printer being used to create them. Recent homicidesBoth Mayor Randall Woodfin and Chief Scott Thurmond noted a similar device was used in July homicides over the weekend in Birmingham. >> 7 DEAD, 10 INJURED: Mayor and police call for swift justice in July mass shooting"They don't care about everyday citizens residents," Woodfin said. "They don't care about children, seniors, elders. We got to take those people off the streets. They're riding around with these Glock switches, and their intent is to inflict massive amounts of casualties and carnage as they can.""Where we used to see a dozen or less shell casings on the scene, we're seeing 75 to 100 or even more than 100 on a crime scene, because, as you'll see after, shortly how quickly these rounds are fired from these weapons," Thurmond said. "There's a lot of damage that can be done very quickly because of these weapons. As the ATF just said, there's no place for these things in our city or in our state or our country." This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.

LIVE UPDATES | WHAT WE KNOW | WITNESS | BIRMINGHAM MAYOR | THE NEXT MORNING

Police believe Glock switches were used in a mass shooting that happened Saturday in downtown Birmingham. At least four people were killed and 17 others were shot, according to police.

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>> THE LATEST: Police investigate mass shooting in Birmingham

So what are Glock switches?

These devices are easily concealable, measuring at only about an inch long, and can be made of metal or plastic, meaning they could be created at home using a 3D printer.

When attached to the back of a Glock, the user is given the ability to switch between semi-automatic and fully automatic. The National Firearms Act classifies the switch itself as a machine gun.

Operation 'Flip the Switch'

Since July, the U.S. Attorney's Office and the ATF joined Birmingham's police chief and mayor to announce "Operation Flip the Switch."

The program is focusing on getting machine gun conversion devices like auto sears, also known as Glock switches, off the streets.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Arrests for Glock switch operation

“Machine gun conversion devices have no place in our community," said U.S. Attorney Prim Escalona. "Though small in size, a switch is deadly, and a lot of innocent people can be injured with one pull of the trigger. People should feel safe in their homes, neighborhoods, and public spaces. That is why we will use every tool in our toolbox to aggressively prosecute those who possess such deadly devices.”

Operation Flip the Switch is set to focus on three areas: prioritizing the prosecutions, partnering with and training state and local law enforcement and increasing public awareness so that citizens know what they look like and how they operate in order to report one.

Crime Stoppers is offering cash rewards for information that leads to the arrest of those that either possess a Glock switch or a 3D printer being used to create them.

Recent homicides

Both Mayor Randall Woodfin and Chief Scott Thurmond noted a similar device was used in July homicides over the weekend in Birmingham.

>> 7 DEAD, 10 INJURED: Mayor and police call for swift justice in July mass shooting

"They don't care about everyday citizens residents," Woodfin said. "They don't care about children, seniors, elders. We got to take those people off the streets. They're riding around with these Glock switches, and their intent is to inflict massive amounts of casualties and carnage as they can."

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"Where we used to see a dozen or less shell casings on the scene, we're seeing 75 to 100 or even more than 100 on a crime scene, because, as you'll see after, shortly how quickly these rounds are fired from these weapons," Thurmond said. "There's a lot of damage that can be done very quickly because of these weapons. As the ATF just said, there's no place for these things in our city or in our state or our country."

This is a developing story and will be updated as information becomes available. Stay updated on the latest stories with the WVTM 13 app. You can download it here.