A woman was shot while sitting inside her car on Rickarby Street in Mobile Wednesday night, in an attack that Mobile police say was not aimed at her specifically. Investigators believe minors may have been involved in the shooting, and officers are still searching for the person or people responsible.
Police said the woman suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital, where she was listed in stable condition as of Wednesday night. Authorities said she is expected to recover. A nearby home was also struck by gunfire during the shooting, though no one inside that residence was injured.
Emergency radio traffic captured the initial moments after officers were dispatched to the scene. Neighbors in the area described hearing a heavy volume of gunfire; one resident, who did not want to speak on camera, said she was about a block away when she heard more than a dozen shots ring out. In the aftermath, several neighbors turned to the Ring doorbell app to check on one another. “Did anyone else hear those gunshots?” one neighbor asked in a post shared through the app. Another replied, in part, “I definitely heard the gunshots that were just fired too. I can’t tell exactly what direction it came from though.”
Mobile Police Chief William Jackson addressed the shooting and its impact on an uninvolved victim, calling the outcome unacceptable.
“We have an innocent victim, which is unacceptable in every manner,” Jackson said. “This senselessness needs to stop. It has to stop. It can’t be tolerated.”
Jackson said his department still needs help from the public to identify who opened fire and to determine what led up to the shooting. “If you have any video footage or know of anyone who could be involved, we really need the help,” he said.
Mobile’s Executive Director of Public Safety, Curtis Graves, also responded to the shooting, saying the city recognizes the toll incidents like this take on residents who had no part in whatever prompted the gunfire. “No one should have to experience this kind of violence anywhere within our community, and it’s a troubling reminder that someone’s single, mindless action can affect anyone, anywhere, at any time,” Graves said in a statement.
The shooting remains under investigation, and no arrests had been announced as of Wednesday night. Mobile police are asking anyone with video footage, including doorbell or security camera recordings from the Rickarby Street area, or anyone with information about who was involved, to come forward.