The owner of a restaurant around the corner from the site of a mass shooting in Birmingham, Alabama is calling on his community to get over their fear of “snitching” and cooperate with law enforcement as they continue to search for the suspects.
Anthony Crawford, the owner of T-Bone’s Authentic Philly Style Cheesesteaks and Hoagies, voiced his support for the mayor and law enforcement and encouraged people to come forward if they have any information.
“I think our police officers here do pretty good work,” Crawford told Newsweek. “I don’t have a complaint, so I think that says a lot. I think people need to get out of that ‘I’m not going to tell. I don’t feel comfortable snitching.’ You’ve got to tell what you know. We’ve got to get these characters off the street. The quicker we get them off the street, the quicker we’ll be safer.”
Crawford was not in his restaurant at the time of the shooting on Saturday but he heard about it from his employees who were closing for the night.
“It being right around the corner, of course everyone heard it and reacted,” Crawford said.
Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said the priority is to arrest and convict the people responsible for a mass shooting in the Five Points South neighborhood. No suspects have been identified yet.
Birmingham Police Department and AP Photo/Vasha Hunt
Crawford was “concerned” for his employees after learning about the incident, but he said they were unharmed in the attack.
He said he views this as an opportunity to advocate for better gun control.
“I don’t understand why assault weapons are available. I don’t understand why the switches for Glock handguns are available,” Crawford said. “They serve no purpose. They’re only for shooting people and injuring people.”
Crawford explained why he thinks stronger legislation is necessary in the state.
“You don’t have to have a background check in Alabama, people carry guns like they carry their car keys, and I think that’s really ridiculous,” Crawford said.
A mass shooting in the Five Points South neighborhood left four people dead and 17 injured.
The four deceased victims have been identified as 21-year-old Anitra Holloman, 26-year-old Roderick Lynn Patterson, Jr., 27-year-old Tahj Booker and 27-year-old Carlos McCain.
Officials said that “multiple suspects” opened fire at a large group of people. Police have not identified any suspects yet and no arrests have been made.
“This mass shooting has a heavy toll of the community as a whole, but nothing more harmful than the emotional and physical pain of these actual victims,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said at a press conference on Monday. “But I want to make myself very clear on what the priority is: It is to hunt down, capture, arrest and convict the people who are responsible for this mass shooting.”
The FBI and Crime Stoppers are offering $50,000 each for information leading to arrests.
Anyone with information in relation to the shooting should contact the Birmingham Police Department Homicide Division at 205-254-1764 or Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777.
Crawford said he hopes people are not discouraged from visiting Birmingham following the incident, which he called an “anomaly.”
“We have so many things to be thankful for, so many attractions, so many things historically that should be looked at and discussed instead of what we have to talk about right now,” Crawford said.
He said he has lived and owned a business in Birmingham for over 20 years.
“It’s saddening, because Birmingham has made such amazing steps forward and we’ve come a long, long way,” he said.
The shooting happened in a popular nightlife district near the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The suspects opened fire outside of Hush, a lounge in the district.
The business said it was “deeply saddened” by the incident in a statement posted to its Instagram story.
“Our thoughts and heartfelt condolences go out to the victims, their families, and everyone affected by this senseless act of violence,” the statement read.
The lounge also called for more peace and safety in the community.
“We stand together in grief, solidarity, and the hope for a better, more compassionate future,” the business said.
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