MOBILE, Ala. — Mobile police are trying to determine who opened fire at the Bay Towne Apartments on Tuesday afternoon, a shooting that left a parked car riddled with gunfire but, by good fortune, injured no one.
Officers with the Mobile Police Department were sent to the complex at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 29, after a report of shots fired. When they arrived, they found that a vehicle had been hit by gunfire. No one was inside the car at the time, and police said no injuries were reported.
As of Wednesday morning, investigators had not announced any arrests, identified a suspect or released a description of a vehicle or person of interest. The department said the investigation remains open and asked anyone with information to come forward, noting that anonymous tips are accepted.
What police have said so far
The department’s account of the incident is brief. Here is what has been released:
- When: Tuesday, Sept. 29, at roughly 5 p.m.
- Where: Bay Towne Apartments in west Mobile
- What officers found: An unoccupied vehicle struck by gunfire
- Injuries: None reported
- Arrests: None announced
- Status: Active investigation
Police have not said how many shots were fired, whether any apartments were struck, whether the car was the intended target or what may have led to the gunfire. They also have not said whether the shooting is believed to be connected to any other recent incident in the city.
About the complex
Bay Towne is a residential apartment community on Village Green Drive East in the 36609 ZIP code of west Mobile. Like many apartment complexes in the city, it is home to families, working residents and children, and a shooting in the late afternoon — a time when people are returning from work and school — is the kind of incident that tends to unsettle neighbors even when no one is hurt.
Why shooting into a vehicle is a felony, even when it is empty
Alabama law treats firing into a vehicle as a serious crime regardless of whether anyone is inside. Under Section 13A-11-61 of the Code of Alabama, it is illegal to shoot or discharge a firearm into any occupied or unoccupied dwelling, building, automobile, truck or watercraft, among other things.
The penalty depends on whether people were present:
- Firing into an occupied building or vehicle is a Class A felony, the most serious category of felony in Alabama, punishable by 10 to 99 years or life in prison.
- Firing into an unoccupied building or vehicle is a Class C felony, punishable by one year and a day up to 10 years in prison.
Depending on the circumstances, a person who fires shots in a populated area can also face other charges, such as reckless endangerment or criminal mischief for damage to property. No one has been charged in Tuesday’s shooting, and police have not said what charges a suspect could face.
A pattern of shots-fired calls
The Bay Towne shooting comes during a stretch in which Mobile police have responded to a series of incidents where gunfire struck homes or cars without hurting anyone. Over the last weekend of September alone, the department reported an occupied home hit by gunfire in the 1500 block of Orange Street on Saturday, Sept. 26, and another occupied home and an unoccupied vehicle struck in the 1100 block of Freeman Street early Monday, Sept. 28. Both of those cases also remained under investigation.
Police have not suggested that any of those shootings are linked to the one at Bay Towne.
Cases in which no one is wounded can be difficult to solve. There is often no victim who can describe a shooter, and the person who fired may have left before officers arrived. That is why investigators rely heavily on witnesses, recovered shell casings, surveillance video and tips from the public.
How to share information
Mobile police ask anyone who saw or heard anything at the Bay Towne Apartments on Tuesday afternoon, or who has information about who was responsible, to contact the department. Residents with home security systems, doorbell cameras or dash cameras that may have recorded activity around the complex at about 5 p.m. could provide useful evidence.
Tips can be shared in several ways:
- Call the Mobile Police Department directly.
- Submit an anonymous tip by phone or text to the department’s tip line at 844-251-0644.
- Use the anonymous online tip portal linked from the Mobile Police Department’s website.
According to the department, people who report legitimate crimes through its WeTip anonymous hotline may be eligible for a reward of up to $1,000, paid upon a conviction. Anyone who sees a crime in progress or believes someone is in immediate danger should call 911.
Staying safe when shots are fired
Public safety officials generally offer a few basic guidelines for residents who hear gunfire nearby:
- Get low and move away from windows and exterior doors.
- If you are outside, seek cover behind something solid, such as a concrete wall or the engine block of a vehicle.
- Call 911 once you are safe and report what you heard, including the number of shots, the direction they came from and any vehicles or people you saw leaving.
- Do not touch shell casings or other possible evidence; let officers collect it.
- Check on neighbors, especially older residents and children, once the scene is secure.
What happens next
Investigators will continue to follow up on leads, review any available video and examine physical evidence recovered at the scene. If a suspect is identified and arrested, police are expected to release the person’s name and the charges filed.
Anyone eventually charged in connection with the shooting would be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. This article will be updated if Mobile police release additional information.