A suspect already in custody for a September mass shooting outside a Birmingham nightclub is now facing charges related to several other shootings this year, including another mass shooting in July. Damien McDaniel, 22, has been charged with capital murder in connection with the July 13th incident that claimed the lives of four people and injured ten others, according to a Birmingham Police Department announcement on Wednesday. McDaniel was previously linked to the September 21st mass shooting near the University of Alabama at Birmingham, which also resulted in four fatalities and wounded at least seventeen individuals. At the time of the September shooting, Police Chief Scott Thurmond indicated it was likely a targeted attack, with the perpetrators potentially being hired for the job.

Authorities now believe McDaniel is implicated in three additional shootings in August and September, all of which were fatal. In total, police suspect McDaniel is responsible for the deaths of eleven people and injuries to twenty-nine others across five separate shooting events. Another suspect, 27-year-old Hatarius Woods, has also been charged with capital murder in the July mass shooting. While other individuals are believed to be involved in the September attack, that investigation remains active.

Officer Truman Fitzgerald revealed that McDaniel and Woods are believed to be responsible for approximately 30% of the homicides in Birmingham between July and September. Fitzgerald emphasized the significant impact a small number of criminals have on the city's crime rate. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin recently addressed the city's ongoing struggle with violent crime, calling upon state lawmakers to implement more stringent gun safety regulations rather than simply increasing police presence.