MOBILE, Alabama — Police are searching for four armed suspects after a man was shot during a carjacking near downtown Mobile over the weekend, according to the Mobile Police Department.
Officers responded to a reported robbery on Bizzell Avenue, near Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, around 8:45 p.m. Sunday. Investigators say the victim told officers that four men armed with handguns confronted him, shot him in the shoulder and fled in his vehicle.
Medical crews transported the man to a local hospital for treatment. Police spokesman Officer Terence Perkins said the suspects face potential charges of first-degree robbery and second-degree assault once identified and located, though descriptions of the men and the stolen vehicle have not been released publicly.
The Bizzell Avenue corridor sits within a residential stretch of midtown Mobile that has periodically seen carjacking and robbery activity reported to police. Investigators are continuing to review the case and are asking anyone with information about the shooting or the whereabouts of the stolen vehicle to contact the Mobile Police Department at 251-208-7211.
Mobile police have periodically flagged carjacking as one of the harder crime trends to combat, since it often unfolds quickly and can leave detectives with little more than witness accounts to start from. Investigators say video canvassing and community tips are frequently what turns fleeting carjacking cases into arrests weeks or months later.
No arrests had been announced in the case as of this report, and police have not said whether the four suspects are believed to be connected to other recent robberies in the area. The investigation remains open.
Robberies and carjackings involving handguns tend to draw close scrutiny from Mobile police commanders, who periodically shift patrol resources into corridors that see repeated reports. Residents along Bizzell Avenue and nearby streets have been encouraged to report suspicious activity promptly, since early calls to police can help officers respond while suspects and stolen vehicles are still nearby.