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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (BFMG) — A Birmingham man accused of killing four people outside a hookah lounge in September has now been charged in an earlier mass shooting that left four dead at a nightclub in July. The suspect, Damien Laron McDaniel III, 22, of Fairfield, is now linked to 11 deaths and 29 injuries across five incidents between July and September.
McDaniel was indicted Nov. 22 for a drive-by shooting at an adult birthday party at the Trendsetters nightclub on July 13. Four people died and nine others were injured in that attack. In addition to capital murder, McDaniel faces 10 counts of first-degree assault related to the shooting.
Hatarius Woods, 27, has also been charged with capital murder and 10 counts of first-degree assault in connection with the nightclub shooting. Woods was taken into custody on Tuesday afternoon in Ensley, according to Birmingham police.
Victims Identified in July Shooting
- Angela Weatherspoon, 56, of Center Point
- Stevie McGhee, 39, of Birmingham
- Markeisha Gettings, 42, of Birmingham
- Lerandus Anderson, 24, of Center Point
Pattern of Violence
Birmingham Police Department (BPD) stated McDaniel is the sole suspect in a string of killings, including a mass shooting outside the Hush hookah lounge in Five Points South on Sept. 21. That attack claimed four lives and injured 17 others. In total, McDaniel is allegedly responsible for about one-fourth of the city’s homicides over a two-month span.
“These individuals don’t just stop with one murder,” said Officer Truman Fitzgerald during a press conference. “I don’t think there’s a single instance that sums up that statement more than these arrests today.”
Fitzgerald added that nearly 30% of the homicides in Birmingham between July and September involved McDaniel or others now facing charges. “Birmingham is most definitely a safer place with these individuals behind bars,” he said.
Community Impact
Jefferson County District Attorney Danny Carr described McDaniel and Woods as “some of the most dangerous individuals in Jefferson County.” Carr credited the combined efforts of federal, state, and local law enforcement, including the ATF, FBI, DEA, Homeland Security, and U.S. Marshals Service, in securing the arrests.
“This is the first step in a long process,” Carr said. “But we are going to do everything in our power to get justice for the victims, their families, and the people of Jefferson County.”
Family Speaks Out
Relatives of the victims expressed a mix of relief and lingering fear following the arrests. Angel Weatherspoon, who lost her mother, sister, and nephew in the July shooting, said the arrests offered “a little peace.”
Her sister, Glamorus Mullen, said the family had been living in constant fear. “Am I going to be next? Is one of my kids going to be next?” she said. “We’ve been afraid. Are they going to get the rest of us? And for what reason? We don’t know.”
The families stated they do not know McDaniel. “He’s a straight menace,” Weatherspoon said. “I want to know, ‘Why? Who sent you?’”
Additional Charges
McDaniel and Woods are also accused in the Aug. 13 shooting death of Charlie Moore, 61, during a burglary. Moore was found dead inside a Birmingham apartment after police responded to shots fired and spotted a stolen vehicle fleeing the scene.
McDaniel faces further charges for the Sept. 19 killing of Diontrante Tinae Brown, a 35-year-old mother who police say was an innocent bystander. She was shot to death inside 604 Bar and Lounge on Ninth Street North.
Less than 24 hours after the Five Points South shooting, McDaniel is alleged to have killed Jamarcus McIntyre, 32, during a robbery. McIntyre died in a hail of gunfire on Sept. 22 in the 700 block of 81st Place South.
Documentary Footage
Before his arrest, McDaniel appeared in a YouTube documentary titled This City Eats People Alive: The Most Dangerous Place in Alabama, America: The Dirty South. In the documentary, McDaniel and Ny’Quan Cordae Lollar, 22, another suspect in McIntyre’s death, were asked about showing empathy toward victims’ families.
“I’m (expletive) going to do the same thing to you, so why not do it to them?” McDaniel said. “Why show them compassion when they ain’t gonna show your folks compassion?”
“They ain’t sparing (expletive),” Lollar added. McDaniel continued, “If their son ends up dead and they come to court, they ain’t going to spare me. They’re going to want my ass.”
Efforts to reach McDaniel’s attorney for comment were not immediately successful.
Broader Concerns
Authorities emphasized that while the arrests mark progress, the work is far from over. “We will continue to diligently investigate these cases to ensure that all parties involved are brought to justice,” Carr said.
The case has reignited discussions about community safety, with families and residents calling for greater efforts to address the root causes of violence in Birmingham.
