BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WIAT) -- An arrest has been made in the wake of a mass shooting that left several dead and many others injured in downtown Birmingham last month.
During a press conference Wednesday, Birmingham Police Chief Scott Thurmond announced the arrest of Damien McDaniel, 22, who was charged with capital murder and 17 counts of attempted murder. He is being held on no bond.
McDaniel's arrest is connected to a mass shooting outside the Hush Lounge on Sept. 21. In the shooting, four people were killed while 17 others were injured.
Police also announced McDaniel is charged with murder in two separate fatal shootings in Birmingham that occurred before and after the mass shooting. On Sep. 19, Diontranet Brown was shot at the 604 Bar and Lounge and on Sept. 22, Jamarcus McIntyre was shot in the 700 block of 81st Place South.
Detectives have reason to believe McDaniel is connected to both cases, bringing the total number of victims to six.
“We received over 300 tips between crime stoppers and our QR code," Thurmond said. "They were all extremely helpful. As we’ve said, the investigations are still ongoing.”
It is not known whether other suspects were involved or are being investigated in the Hush mass shooting.
"These cases, as you have seen, have taken over three and a half weeks to get to this point," Thurmond said. "There is a tremendous amount of man and woman power that was put into these investigations. This is just one step in moving forward."
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin released the following statement after the press conference:
"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.
"We told you this is what we’d do, and this is what we did.
"Today was a major step toward justice.
"Thanks to Police Chief Thurmond; Deputy Chief Brown and the Investigative Bureau; Deputy Chief Pickett and the Special Operation Bureau; the sheriff’s office; homicide detectives; our federal partners for working 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 we’re not yet done. This investigation continues with BPD and we will not rest until our streets are safer.
"Violent criminals operating within Birmingham will be pursued RELENTLESSLY and brought to justice without delay.
"Our commitment to swift arrests and seamless coordination with local, state, and federal partners that has been strengthened over the past two years, 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.
"We are 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. The people in Birmingham are pulling together to win this fight and we will."