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Late Thursday, a mass shooting in Morgan County, Alabama, claimed seven lives. The shooting took place just before 11:30 at night, in the Valhermoso Springs region, close to Somerville. Four men and three women were killed, according to the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office.
Police arrived after a neighbor reported gunshots in the neighborhood. When officers arrived on the scene, they immediately noticed that the house was partially ablaze. The officers ascertained that the seven bodies were within after the fire was put out. According to officers on the scene, the sight was horrific.
“It is a horrific scene and to be able to process it will take some time,” said Officer Mike Swafford. “We don’t have a motive at this time. We don’t have a determined suspect at this time. Investigators are following leads to piece together the story. We can say we don’t believe there is an active threat to anybody in the area.”
According to reports from the local area, neighbors have stated that the house the shooting took place in is known for drug activity.
The sheriff’s office currently suspects that the perpetrator went to the residence with the express intent of shooting everyone inside. Authorities are still working to identify all of the people killed in the mass shooting.
It is, at the time of this writing, unclear as to what sparked the mass shooting. Swafford described the crime as “incredibly heinous” and “cold-blooded,” and he was clearly shaken by the sight within the residence.
Officers on the scene have some theories. For example, perhaps the perpetrator started the fire to cover up evidence of the crime. However, it had not spread far before the authorities extinguished it. The FBI’s violent crimes task force is assisting with the case, according to Morgan County authorities.
This crime comes even as Alabama is still gradually emerging from COVID-19 lockdowns. Some personal services, like barber shops that offer men’s shave services, have begun to resume operations.
Notably, the seven deaths make this crime one of the deadliest mass shootings in Alabama’s history. The only example of a deadlier shooting spree in Alabama came in 2009. During that shooting rampage, 11 people died in Samson. One of the people killed was the gunman, who died after turning his gun on himself.
