{"id":3456,"date":"2025-10-05T09:30:40","date_gmt":"2025-10-05T13:30:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/?p=3456"},"modified":"2025-10-05T09:30:40","modified_gmt":"2025-10-05T13:30:40","slug":"mass-shooting-in-downtown-montgomery-leaves-two-dead-and-12-injured","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/2025\/10\/05\/mass-shooting-in-downtown-montgomery-leaves-two-dead-and-12-injured\/","title":{"rendered":"Mass Shooting in Downtown Montgomery Leaves Two Dead and 12 Injured"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By Political Bourbon | Credit: AL.com<\/p>\n\n\n\n

MONTGOMERY, Ala. \u2014 A night meant for celebration turned to chaos late Saturday as gunfire erupted in downtown Montgomery, leaving two people dead and a dozen others injured. The shooting occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. near Bibb Street and Commerce Street, an area filled with visitors following the Morehouse\u2013Tuskegee Classic and other weekend events.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Montgomery Police Lt. Tina McGriff, a total of 14 people were shot. Two victims, including a woman, have died. Among the injured are two juveniles \u2014 one suffering life-threatening injuries and another with less severe wounds. In all, three victims remain in critical condition while nine others sustained non-life-threatening injuries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Police Chief James Graboys said the violence stemmed from \u201ctwo parties shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,\u201d adding that the shooters \u201cdid not care about the people around them when they did it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As of early Sunday, no arrests had been made, though investigators were actively interviewing potential suspects. \u201cWe will do everything we need to gather every bit of evidence to chase down whoever is involved,\u201d Graboys said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lt. McGriff urged witnesses to come forward, noting detectives are reviewing surveillance footage and gathering statements. \u201cEven the smallest detail could be critical,\u201d she said. Police ask anyone with information to call 334-625-2831 or Central Alabama Crime Stoppers at 334-215-STOP (7867).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weekend of Celebration Turns Violent<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shooting unfolded amid a busy weekend in Alabama\u2019s capital. The Morehouse\u2013Tuskegee Classic had just concluded at Cramton Bowl stadium, drawing large crowds downtown. A new Ferris wheel had opened nearby, the Alabama National Fair was underway at Garrett Coliseum, and Alabama State University hosted its homecoming game against Bethune-Cookman University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Video shared by WSFA showed police vehicles blocking streets and flashing lights illuminating the chaotic aftermath. A news conference is expected at noon Sunday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Political Reactions and Rising Tensions<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Violent crime has become a growing concern in Montgomery. Alabama Lt. Gov. Will Ainsworth posted online that \u201clocal leaders must be willing to lead in order to stop the crime and violence.\u201d The statement reignited tensions between Ainsworth and Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed, who have clashed over public safety leadership.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In July, Ainsworth accused Reed of taking undue credit for reductions in crime, arguing that the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit (MACS) \u2014 a coalition of agencies including ALEA, the Alabama Attorney General\u2019s Office, Montgomery Police, and ATF \u2014 deserved the recognition. Reed dismissed the criticism, saying he\u2019s \u201cnot worried about credit because I focus on results.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gov. Kay Ivey has praised MACS and announced plans to expand it during her February State of the State address.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Calls for Action \u2014 or Troops?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The shooting may intensify debate over how to tackle violent crime in Alabama\u2019s cities. U.S. Sen. Tommy Tuberville, now a frontrunner for governor in 2026, said in August he would \u201cabsolutely\u201d consider deploying the National Guard to Birmingham and Montgomery to combat crime, mirroring actions taken by President Trump in Washington, D.C.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mayor Reed rejected that approach, saying, \u201cMontgomery is not a battlefield. It is a city of families, faith, and future. The people of this community deserve solutions rooted in partnership, not political soundbites.\u201d He has repeatedly emphasized the need for \u201ccontinued investment in jobs, education, mental health, and public safety resources \u2014 not troops on our streets.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City Still Reeling<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Montgomery has faced a string of violent incidents this year. In late September, five people were killed in separate homicides during a single weekend. \u201cEvery life lost to violence is one too many,\u201d Reed said at the time. \u201cWe can\u2019t shrug it off like it\u2019s normal. It\u2019s not normal, and it\u2019s not acceptable.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the city mourns yet another tragedy, many residents are left asking what more can be done \u2014 not just to solve Saturday night\u2019s shooting, but to prevent the next one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


Scene of the mass shooting in downtown Montgomery late Saturday night.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Political Bourbon | Credit: AL.com MONTGOMERY, Ala. \u2014 A night meant for celebration turned to chaos late Saturday as gunfire erupted in downtown Montgomery, leaving two people dead and a dozen others injured. The shooting occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. near Bibb Street and Commerce Street, an area filled with visitors following the Morehouse\u2013Tuskegee […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":3454,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5195],"tags":[5197,5205,5210,5211,3327,5190,3642,3821,5199,5201,5018,5208,3831,5206,5198,5200,5209,5196,4889,5202,5203,5204,5207],"class_list":{"0":"post-3456","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-alabama","8":"tag-alabama","9":"tag-alabama-politics","10":"tag-alabama-state-university","11":"tag-cramton-bowl","12":"tag-crime","13":"tag-daily-ridge","14":"tag-gun-violence","15":"tag-homicide","16":"tag-james-graboys","17":"tag-kay-ivey","18":"tag-law-enforcement","19":"tag-macs","20":"tag-mass-shooting","21":"tag-metro-area-crime-suppression-unit","22":"tag-montgomery","23":"tag-montgomery-police-department","24":"tag-morehouse-tuskegee-classic","25":"tag-police-investigation","26":"tag-public-safety","27":"tag-steven-reed","28":"tag-tina-mcgriff","29":"tag-tommy-tuberville","30":"tag-will-ainsworth"},"amp_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3456"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3457,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3456\/revisions\/3457"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3454"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3456"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3456"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/politicalbourbon.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3456"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}