A mass shooting in downtown Montgomery on Oct. 4 that killed two and injured a dozen others still has led to one arrest and raised tensions throughout the city and the state.
The shooting occurred late on a Saturday night near Bibb Street and Commerce Street in downtown Montgomery, killing two people — including a teenager. Two other juveniles are among the dozen others injured. Five of those injured sustained life-threatening injuries.
The shooting occurred after the conclusion of the Morehouse-Tuskegee Classic football game at the Cramton Bowl stadium.
Upon their initial investigation of the crime scene, Montgomery police determined that an automatic weapon was used in the shooting, recovering multiple shell casings and weapons with magazine capacities from the scene.
The police also maintain that there were multiple people firing weapons in the crowd.
On Friday, Montgomery police announced that they had arrested and charged one juvenile in connection to the shooting. The suspect’s name and age have not been released.
Officials said they expect to make more arrests in connection to the shooting.
In a press conference following the shooting, Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed defended the city’s safety.
“We aren’t going to let one or two bad apples spoil the bunch,” Reed said. “We’re going to find the ones that are rotten, and we’re going to get them the hell out of here.”
However, the shooting has sparked criticism from other state officials over Montgomery’s violent crime rates.
“These events underscore, once again, that our capital city is in crisis,” Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall posted following the shooting — the shooting marked the city’s 52nd homicide of the year.
“If the attorney general ever wants to talk with me about what we’re doing, I’d be more than happy to sit with him, and I’ll go to him, tell him exactly what we’ve been doing,” Reed said in response to Marshall’s comments, adding, “But I don’t need anybody lecturing me about crime.”
Alabama Sen. Tommy Tuberville also posted criticism on X, writing, “Crime has become too common in Montgomery, and this cannot continue. It’s past time for city leadership to take responsibility and put an end to this.”
In the wake of the shooting, Gov. Kay Ivey has asked the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to expand the patrol area for state troopers patrolling the state capitol complex to include other parts of downtown Montgomery.
Alabama top stories in brief
Alabama WIC funding at risk as federal government shutdown continues
- Alabama public health officials are warning that the state’s Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, otherwise known as WIC, funds are at risk of running out before November if the on-going federal government shutdown continues.
- WIC, in Alabama, is a discretionary program that operates using federal funding. State Health Officer Dr. Scott Harris said the program has some extra funds left over from the previous fiscal year, but that those funds will only be able to sustain the program for a few weeks.
- In 2024, more than 111,000 Alabamians participated in WIC, which provides food assistance and breastfeeding support for eligible households with children under the age of 5.
Judge denies death row inmate stay of execution ahead of October execution date
- A judge denied Alabama death row inmate Anthony Boyd’s request for a stay of execution last week.
- Boyd’s lawyers argued that the plans to execute Boyd with nitrogen gas would count as cruel and unusual punishment.
- Boyd’s family and spiritual adviser hosted an hour-long press conference last week pleading for Boyd’s life to be spared ahead of his Oct. 23 execution date. During the conference, Boyd spoke via telephone from William C. Holman Correctional Facility and maintained his innocence.
- Boyd is the chairman of an inmate-run group, Project Hope to Abolish the Death Penalty, that opposes capital punishment.
State community colleges enrollment continues to grow
- The Alabama College Community System is continuing to see increased enrollment, according to new data from the system.
- More than 98,000 students have enrolled in the state’s community colleges for the fall 2025 semester, up 9.6% from last fall.
- All but one school in the ACCS has seen increased enrollment for the semester, according to ACCS Vice Chancellor for Student Success Neil Scott.
Alabama indefinitely suspends requirements for methane monitoring above coal mines
- The Alabama Surface Mining Commission has suspended their requirements outlining that coal mining companies must monitor for potentially explosive methane gas while expanding their mines.
- The state was ordered to create monitoring requirements by the federal Office of Surface Mining Reclamation and Enforcement after a home exploded in Oak Ridge in March 2024 due to a buildup of methane gas thought to be caused by coal mining operations underneath the house.
- However, no monitoring requirements ever went into place. Upon OSMRE’s order, coal mining operations were given 90 days to file their monitoring plans. The deadline to file plans was later extended to Sept. 30. Now that the extended deadline has passed, the Alabama Surface Mining Commission has suspended the requirement.
- In a letter from mining commission director Kathy Love to federal officials obtained by Inside Climate News, Love argued that the requirements were motivated by “media pressure and a citizen’s unknowledgeable complaint.”
Mobile County Sheriff under fire for Halloween yard display
- Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch has been under fire after photos of a Halloween display in his yard began circulating on social media.
- Burch’s yard display features two skeletons wearing sombreros and ponchos climbing a fence while three other skeletons, meant to depict U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents, appear to chase them.
- A neighbor of Burch’s, Whitney Newman, posted photos of the display on Facebook, saying, “I don’t think it’s cute or funny. And coming from a law enforcement official makes it exponentially worse.”
- Burch’s wife, Michelle Burch, took sole responsibility for the display, saying in a statement, “I made this one, playing both on my Cuban background and new, needed changes in federal immigration enforcement.”
Our articles you might have missed
- Our latest edition of The Longleaf Hiker continues our Alabama flora and fauna series by exploring Alabama’s fascinating collection of reptiles. Check out the article here and make sure to check back for our next article, which will focus on amphibians.
Author
Like our work? Then support it!
Want to get early access to columns, unique newsletters and help keep The Sunrise News active? Then support us on Ko-Fi!