Birmingham Manhunt Continues After Mass Shooting

The manhunt continues in Birmingham, Alabama, after a mass shooting in a popular nightlife district left four dead and another 17 injured on Saturday night.

• The shooting: It took place about 11pm in the Five Points South district near the University of Alabama, reports the New York Times. Gunmen pulled up in a vehicle, exited, and began firing on patrons lined up outside Hush lounge, say police. One of those killed was believed to have been the target, with most of the other casualties victims of crossfire.
• A targeted hit: "We believe there was a hit, if you will, on that particular person as far as someone willing to pay money to have that person killed," said Police Chief Scott Thurmond, per NBC News.

• Conversion devices: The gunmen are believed to have used what are known as "machine gun conversion devices" to make their semiautomatic weapons fire more quickly, per the AP. The devices are illegal under federal law. More than 100 shell casings were found at the scene, notes the Montgomery Advertiser.
• Identifications: Three of the dead have been identified as Anitra Holloman, 21; Tahj Booker, 27; and Carlos McCain, 27. Four of the wounded, meanwhile, have life-threatening injuries. Police haven't speculated who may have been the target or why, and no arrests have been made.
• City pattern: Murder rates may be dropping nationally, but not in Birmingham, notes CNN. In fact, another nightclub shooting in July killed four people and wounded 10.

(More Birmingham stories.)