Police ID man killed in shooting at BBQ cookout in Bessemer

BESSEMER, AL (WBRC) - Bessemer police have identified a man killed during a shootout at a barbecue in Bessemer on Saturday.

Robert King Williams, 39, of Bessemer, was pronounced dead on the scene. Another man and a woman were taken to UAB Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

The shooting happened around 9 p.m. Saturday, April 30 on 18th Ave and 15th Street in Bessemer, where police said there was a barbecue cookout taking place.

Police said it appears that an argument at the barbecue led to the shootings.

When police arrived they found Williams lying in the street with multiple gunshot wounds to his upper torso. Several shell casings were found in the area and more than 100 people were on the scene following the shootings, police said.

"Detectives are certain that more than one person was shooting during the cookout. Further, it is unknown at this time if Mr. Williams was the intended victim," Sgt. Cortice Miles with the Bessemer Police Department said in an update on Monday.

Detectives are still waiting on the coroner's office to report the exact cause and manner of Williams' death. They're also interviewing witnesses and processing evidence, Miles said.

Sgt. Miles said they have not arrested anyone, but have identified three to five persons of interest in the shooting. He said their names will not be released at this time.

A house and three cars were also possibly hit in the gunfire.

Police don't yet know a motive in the shooting.