By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times
A 22-year-old Fairfield man is behind bars, accused of killing six people in Birmingham in 72 hours, including four people in the mass shooting outside Hush lounge in Five Points South.
Damien Laron McDaniel III is charged with capital murder of two or more people in the massacre that killed four people on Sept. 21 and with 17 counts of first-degree assault for those who were injured, police announced late Wednesday.
“Today, our city can breathe a little easier,” said Birmingham City Councilor Crystal Smitherman. “But know this: to anyone who wishes to harm others in our city, it’s going to get more uncomfortable for you each and every day. We’re done playing these games.”
On Wednesday, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said in a statement, “After the horrific shooting at Five Points South, we vowed that our priority would be to find, capture, and arrest every person responsible for this heinous and brazen mass shooting … and this is what we did. Today was a major step toward justice.”
Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond and his deputies; the sheriff’s office; homicide detectives and federal partners, the mayor said, “worked around the clock to provide answers, closure, and justice to grieving families; and every man and woman who wears the uniform and puts their life on the line to protect us.”
But the investigation continues, he said. “We will not rest until our streets are safer … violent criminals operating within Birmingham will be pursued relentlessly and brought to justice without delay.”
McDaniel is also charged with murder in the Sept. 19 killing of Diontrante Tinae Brown, a 35-year-old mother who police say was an innocent bystander shot to death inside 604 Bar and Lounge on Ninth Street North.
McDaniel faces another capital murder charge in the robbery shooting death of 32-year-old Jamarcus McIntyre, who died in a hail of gunfire in the 700 block of 81st Place South less than 24 hours after the Five Points South shooting, AL.com reported.
“We all know that no arrest can ever undo the tragedy that shook our community last month,” Smitherman said. “I am relieved to hear that law enforcement left no stone unturned and have now arrested an individual suspected of committing this heinous act of violence. This is a significant step in the justice process, and I hope it brings some measure of closure and comfort to the families and friends of those we lost.”
Woodfin said the city’s crime reduction efforts involve a number of steps. “The city is aggressively getting more police on the streets, working on legislation to get automatic weapons off the streets, and engaging our community in finding innovative ways to deal with violent crime,” he said.
He added that law enforcement’s commitment to swift arrests and seamless coordination with local, state, and federal partners “has been strengthened over the past two years [and] will help ensure that these criminals are prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, ensuring that crime will not continue to thrive in our city … violent criminals, know that BPD and our fellow law enforcement partners will be aggressively pursuing you.”
AL.com contributed to this post
