3 Injured in Drive-By Shooting at Alabama Vigil for Bessemer Homicide Victims

Three people were injured on Monday night in a drive-by shooting during a vigil for three men who were killed last Friday at a Citgo gas station in Bessemer, Alabama.

Bessemer Police Chief Michael Wood reported that a small group of about six or seven people had gathered at the gas station on 200 Fourth Avenue when a car drove by and someone inside opened fire just before 9 p.m.

The three men who were shot were taken to UAB Hospital, and fortunately, their injuries are not life-threatening.

Chief Wood expressed his frustration with the recent violence in Bessemer. Over the long holiday weekend, three men were killed on Friday, three more were injured in a separate shooting on Sunday, and then three were hurt during the vigil on Monday.

"The Bessemer Police Department won't tolerate this," Wood stated. "There are too many good citizens here for this to keep happening. We get a bad reputation because of it."

The deadly Friday night shooting occurred shortly after 11:30 p.m. Detective Justin Burmeister mentioned that at least two of the victims were together at the store, while it's unclear if the third victim was with them. They hadn't been there long when someone in a vehicle started shooting at them.

The shooting began in the parking lot and continued inside the store. The attackers appeared to have gotten out of their car and followed the victims into the store while still shooting.

When the shooting stopped, Christopher Eddins, 25, Ronald Dixon Jr., 20, and Wesley Fowler, 40, were found dead at the scene.

This same gas station was the site of another shooting earlier this month on August 5, where a man and woman were injured after more than two dozen bullets hit a car near the gas pumps.

On Sunday, three men were sitting in a truck in the parking lot of a small business on Ninth Avenue North in the city when they were approached and shot at. Two of the men had life-threatening injuries.

Chief Wood doesn't believe the Sunday shooting was connected to the triple homicide on Friday.

However, on Monday, police arrested 20-year-old Raukeem Cunningham and charged him with capital murder for the three killings that occurred on Friday. He is currently being held without bond in the Jefferson County Jail.

Wood does believe that Monday's shooting during the vigil is linked to Friday's violence.

"It’s definitely related to Friday night," Wood said. "And if I had to guess, it's because we issued capital murder warrants for their associate."

He also noted that the group holding the vigil did not inform the police about their gathering. "We've been monitoring these stores all day, not just this one but others as well, to prevent any further trouble," he added.

Chief Wood urged the community to get involved and help stop the violence. "Gun violence is senseless, and we won’t tolerate it here in Bessemer," he said.

He assured that all available police resources have been deployed to address the situation and will continue to be used until the violence ends. "I'm beyond frustrated," he said.

"People rely on guns to settle disputes, and it needs to stop. We won't tolerate it anymore," Wood concluded.