At least two people have been killed and 14 injured in a mass shooting in Montgomery on Saturday night, authorities in Alabama have said.
A woman was among those killed, and at least two of the injured were children, one of whom suffered life-threatening injuries, Montgomery Police Department (MPD) Chief James Graboys told the Montgomery Advertiser.
The massacre happened in the city’s busy tourist district downtown just after the football game between Tuskegee University and Morehouse College, two historically black universities in the state.
Police arrive at the scene of the shooting that left 2 dead. Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Fairground-style attractions were set up ahead of the game, with a ferris wheel and other rides installed in downtown.
The shooting started when a fight broke out between two rival groups at around 11:30 p.m. in downtown Montgomery, Graboys said.
The fracas escalated into a running gun battle that saw the perps firing wildly into a crowd, hitting bystanders.
Law enforcement vehicles on Commerce Street following a shooting in downtown Montgomery, Ala., on early Sunday morning October 5, 2025. Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“This was two parties involved that were basically shooting at each other in the middle of a crowd,” he said, as reported by AL.com, adding that the shooters “did not care about the people around them when they did it.”
So far, there have been no arrests made. Twelve of the 14 victims remain in the hospital.
“In total, three victims remain in life-threatening condition, and nine sustained non-life-threatening injuries,” MPD Lt. Tina McGriff told the Montgomery Advertiser.
Police were patrolling “within 50 feet of both sides” of the scene when shooting broke out, Montgomery’s Mayor Steven Reed told WSFA.
“We’re praying for the victims of this atrocity. We’re praying for their families, their friends. We’re praying for our city. Thousands of people have been in the city this weekend, and it only took one or two to change the entire outcome.”
Police are calling on anyone who knows anything about the shooting to speak to authorities.
Liqueur bottles litter the sidewalk at Bibb Street and Commerce Street following the shooting. Mickey Welsh / Advertiser / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
“We are urging anyone with information related to this incident to come forward. Even the smallest detail could be critical to helping investigators identify those responsible,” Lt. McGriff said.
Montgomery is in the top 10 percent with regards to high crime rates in US cities, according to data from the organization CrimeGrade.com.
In her February State of the State address, Ala. Gov. Kay Ivey said she would expand on a crime-fighting force in Montgomery called the Metro Area Crime Suppression Unit, featuring law enforcement officers from the MPD, the Montgomery Sheriff’s Office, the ATF and the Alabama Attorney General’s Office.
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In August, US. Sen. Tommy Tuberville said he would support the deployment of the National Guard to both Montgomery and Birmingham to combat crime in those cities.
However, Mayor Reed has denied that his city needs the National Guard, and pointed out that violent crimes and non-violent crimes, as well as non-fatal shootings, had all decreased during the first half of 2025.
“Montgomery 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, “he said at a press conference in June, as reported by the Alabama Reflector.