3 killed, 18 wounded in shooting at May Day party in Alabama

STOCKTON, Ala. (AP) — Three people were killed and 18 were wounded Saturday night during a shooting at a party in south Alabama, law enforcement officials said.

About 1,000 people were attending a May Day party near Stockton when gunfire erupted, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release.

“According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an argument took place, which led to at least one subject shooting multiple rounds into the large crowd,” the sheriff’s office said in a news release. Investigators believe there may have been additional shooters.

There was no immediate word on whether arrests had been made. The sheriff’s department asked people to come forward with information and any video taken at the party.

“This is a tragic event that touches many lives in our community. We are working very hard to bring this case to a resolution, but we cannot make arrests or successfully prosecute the offenders without help,” the sheriff’s department said.

A witness described a chaotic scene as gunfire broke out at the crowded party. Douglas Bolden, who now lives in Birmingham, returns home for the event every year for the annual spring May Day event. He told WALA-TV that he took shelter under his camper after gunfire shattered the window of a nearby truck.

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“You had kids lost out here. Kids running in the woods. People running for their life,” said Bolden told the station.

He said “a lot of shots” were fired and gunfire appeared to come from multiple directions.

“There is no reason to be shooting. It’s not that bad. Whatever they had, it wasn’t that bad for you to come up here around all these folks and start shooting. It didn’t make sense. It didn’t make sense at all.”

Stockton has a population of about 400. It is roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) northeast of Mobile, Alabama.