BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — One person was killed and eight others were wounded in a mass shooting just outside Legion Field in Birmingham on Saturday night, October 31, shortly after the annual Magic City Classic football game ended, Birmingham police said, in figures reported on Sunday by the Associated Press and CNN. Multiple shots rang out at about 7:50 p.m. in the 400 block of Graymont Avenue West, just outside the stadium, and responding officers located multiple people with gunshot wounds.

Source: Associated Press via KCAU 9

What happened outside Legion Field

The shooting happened after the 85th Magic City Classic, the annual rivalry game between Alabama A&M University and Alabama State University, the state's two largest historically Black universities. Alabama A&M won 31-28 in front of nearly 70,000 fans, the Associated Press reported. Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said most spectators and families had already left the stadium property after the game, but the shooting happened nearby, where vendors were set up along Graymont Avenue. He said he was “very grateful that more people weren't injured.”

Source: Associated Press via KCAU 9

De'Rell Freeman, assistant public information officer with the Birmingham Police Department, told reporters that officers responded at about 7:50 p.m. and found multiple gunshot victims. One of the wounded is in critical condition and seven others are in stable condition, Freeman said. Police have not released the identities of the person killed or of the wounded, and the circumstances that led to the gunfire remain unclear.

Source: CNN via KION Central Coast

One person detained, multiple firearms recovered

Freeman said one person had been detained and transported to Birmingham police headquarters for questioning, and that “multiple weapons” had been found and secured at the scene. “Multiple firearms were recovered from the scene by officers and turned into our property room,” he said. Police have not announced an arrest or any charges, have not identified the person detained, and have not given a motive — being detained for questioning is not the same as being charged, and no allegation against the detained person has been made public.

Source: CNN via KION Central Coast

In a statement late on Saturday, the Birmingham Police Department said all Magic City Classic tailgating had been suspended and ordered people away from the stadium: “Everyone needs to leave the stadium property as soon as possible. Please do not come to the Legion Field stadium property at this time.” Police later asked the community for help gathering video of the incident and set up an online portal where witnesses can submit evidence anonymously.

Source: CNN via KION Central Coast

‘Our community is hurt, shaken and rightfully angry’

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin responded in a statement on social media. “Our community is hurt, shaken and rightfully angry. So am I. There is no argument, no beef, no misunderstanding that can justify this level of senseless violence during a night of celebration,” Woodfin wrote. “The Magic City Classic is rooted in HBCU tradition, and at the heart of those traditions is family. Tonight, as a family, we grieve. We wrap our arms around neighbors who are dealing with unimaginable pain right now. And just like family, we will stand united as we overcome this tragic night,” he added.

Source: CNN via KION Central Coast

Background: a rivalry more than a century old

Alabama State and Alabama A&M are historically Black universities and archrivals whose annual contest has been played for more than 100 years, the Associated Press noted, and the Classic draws some of the largest crowds in the country for games in its college football division. The event carries such weight in Birmingham that Alabama State coach Eddie Robinson Jr., a former NFL linebacker and an alumnus of the school, has proposed creating a Hall of Fame for the game. Saturday's shooting also came one week after a mass shooting near Florida A&M University in Tallahassee, where shots fired during a fight wounded 11 people, including six juveniles, CNN reported — a pattern of gunfire around big college celebrations that is now repeating across the South.

What happens next

The investigation is now the story: Birmingham police must establish what led to the gunfire, how many people fired, and whether the person detained for questioning will face charges. The identities of the person killed and of the wounded are expected to be released through official channels once families are notified. Anyone with video from Graymont Avenue on Saturday night can submit it through the Birmingham Police Department's online evidence portal, anonymously. For families who travelled to Birmingham for the Classic — and for anyone planning to attend a large stadium event in the coming weeks — the confirmed toll is the fact to hold on to: nine people shot, one dead, one fighting for life in critical condition, and no motive yet made public.