7 injured in shooting after Tuscaloosa neighborhood party, man arrested

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (WBRC) - A man has been arrested and charged after a shooting following a neighborhood party Saturday night left seven people injured, according to the Tuscaloosa Violent Crimes Unit (VCU).

Keyontae Jones, 23, was arrested and charged with eight counts of first-degree assault. Authorities said one victim was determined to have falsely reported being shot at the scene, and that charge will be dismissed, lowering the count to seven victims.

Authorities said that a judge set Jones’ bond at $250,000 cash.

What happened?

According to the VCU, up to a 1,000 people attended the ‘Shacktown Reunion’, an outdoor neighborhood party that honors the history of the neighborhood. The event was approved to run until 10 p.m. Saturday.

Tuscaloosa Police were called to 21st Street, near the Faith Refuge Apostolic Church of God, at 10:48 p.m. on reports of multiple people shot. A Tuscaloosa police officer was nearby assisting with security for the party when the shooting happened. The officer responded within seconds to a scene that stretched multiple city blocks and was described as “chaos” by authorities.

Once on scene, police began giving first aid to victims until Tuscaloosa Fire and Rescue and NorthStar EMS arrived.

The scene was scattered with dozens of shell casings, and police said several parked cars were also struck by gunfire.

Who are the Victims?

The VCU said seven people were injured and taken to UAB Hospital and Children’s of Alabama. The victims include a 12-year-old, a 14-year-old, two 17-year-olds, an 18-year-old, a 20-year-old and a 40-year-old.

Capt. Jack Kennedy with the VCU said he believed the 12-year-old and one of the 17-year-old victims were in critical condition. The other five victims have been released from the hospital. When asked if the two remaining victims are expected to survive, Kennedy said, “I pray they survive.”

Investigation

Kennedy said investigators believed there were multiple shooters, though the exact number is unknown. He said authorities have had differing levels of success gathering information from victims, in part because some of the victims are young.

The FBI is assisting the VCU in the investigation, but the unit will remain the lead investigative agency.

“When we have large-scale events such as this or high-profile incidents, we will sometimes provide personnel or specialized resources, and that’s what we did in this case. We provided a digital media tip line, and that’s so the public can continue to provide photos, multi-media videos of the incident, so that we can continue to establish probable cause,” said DeAnn Castillo, FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge.

Law enforcement is asking anyone who attended the event, or who was in the area Saturday night, to provide photos, cellphone video, surveillance video or other information that could help the investigation. A tipline website has been established for submissions, and the FBI has created a digital media tip line for people to submit information, photos and videos directly to authorities.

The FBI is also offering a reward of up to $10,000 for information leading to the identification, arrest and conviction of anyone responsible for the shooting

You can also call the VCU at (205) 464-8690 or the Tuscaloosa Police Department at (205) 349-2121.

This is a developing story and will be updated as more information becomes available.

Watch the full news conference with the VCU, FBI

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