Governor Kay Ivey personally tried to reach Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed on Monday morning to offer state assistance after the Saturday night downtown mass shooting that left two dead and 12 wounded — but the mayor did not take the call and has not followed up, Governor Ivey’s office says.
Despite the lack of communication with state authorities, Mayor Reed released a statement abdicating responsibility for the violent event on Monday afternoon, blaming the shooting on Alabama’s “lax” gun laws.
“Governor Ivey attempted to reach Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed Monday morning to offer her support. While he did not take the call, she left a voicemail to ask what she could do to help,” Gina Maiola, Governor Ivey’s top spokesperson said in a statement to Yellowhammer News.
“She also specifically asked Mayor Reed to have the police chief reach out to ALEA Secretary Hal Taylor. The Administration has not heard from the mayor or the police chief.
“However, we did see the mayor had time to go to the press to criticize the governor’s efforts to make Montgomery safer following the violent activity Saturday night. The governor believes we need a unified front to fight crime in this city. Right now, Governor Ivey is focused on finding solutions, and she encourages all other leaders to do the same.”
On Monday, Governor Ivey issued state directives to bring Alabama’s capital city back to order.
She is allowing the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency to expand its Capitol Patrol presence into key downtown corridors and increase trooper visibility and enforcement around Montgomery in the wake of the shooting.
She also said “all available state assets” are prepared to stabilize the capital city.
City-backed promotions swelled crowds on Saturday for HBCU Classic Weekend, including a pop-up Ferris wheel and “Thrills Zone” with “FREE” rides October 2-4 and the “FREE” beer on Friday on Lower Dexter.
That night around 11:30 p.m., police say an attack in the heart of downtown Montgomery escalated when multiple parties in the crowd drew and fired weapons, killing two and injuring 12 more people.
Seven of the 14 total gunshot victims are under 20. The youngest is 16.
State and federal partners, ALEA, ATF, FBI and U.S. Marshals are already involved.
No arrests have been announced as of Monday.
Grayson Everett is the editor in chief of Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @Grayson270.
