3 dead as 18 shot in gun battle at party with 1,000 people

Three people were killed and at least 15 others injured as gunfire broke out at a wild Alabama May Day party attended by at least 1,000 people, officials said.

The bloodshed at the party in a field in Stockton late Saturday likely came from a gun battle, the Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office said late Sunday.

“According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an argument took place, which led to at least one subject shooting multiple rounds into the large crowd, Reid said.

“We do believe that there may have been more shooters, and we are following up on those leads.”

At least 18 people were shot, including three who succumbed to their injuries, officials said.

Most of the victims were “younger people,” Captain Andre Reid told WALA-TV

“This is a tragic event that touches many lives in our community. We are working very hard to bring this case to a resolution, but we cannot make arrests or successfully prosecute the offenders without help,” the sheriff’s office said.

There had been no arrests, the department said, stressing that it “cannot make arrests or successfully prosecute the offenders without help” from witnesses.

Stockton, where the shooting unfolded, has a population of about 400 and is roughly 30 miles northeast of Mobile, Alabama.