A peaceful May Day party turned deadly in Stockton, Alabama late Saturday night, May 11, 2024, as gunfire erupted, leaving three people dead and at least 15 others injured.
The shooting occurred in a field in Stockton, a small community of about 400 people, roughly 30 miles northeast of Mobile, Alabama.
The victims have been identified as 37-year-old Chiquita Ewing, a mother of four, 24-year-old Christian Bradley, and 19-year-old Michael Anderson Jr.
The Baldwin County Sheriff’s Office (BCSO) reported that the event, attended by around 1,000 people, devolved into chaos after an argument escalated into a shooting.
Witnesses described a terrifying scene as multiple rounds were fired into the crowd. Captain Andre Reid of the BCSO noted that most victims were young. “This is a tragic event that touches many lives in our community. We are working very hard to resolve this case, but we cannot make arrests or successfully prosecute the offenders without help,” Reid said.
Douglas Bolden, who travels from Birmingham yearly to attend the annual May Day event, held since 1970, recalled the night’s horror. “There were kids lost and running into the woods. People were running for their lives,” Bolden said. He took shelter under his camper after a bullet shattered the window of a nearby truck. “There was no reason for the shooting. It wasn’t bad enough to justify bringing a gun and shooting around all these people. It didn’t make any sense,” a witness said.
The BCSO believes there may have been multiple shooters and is actively following leads. They urged witnesses to provide any information or videos that might help identify the suspects. “According to witnesses, the event was peaceful until an argument broke out, which led to at least one person firing multiple rounds into the crowd,” Captain Andre Reid explained.
Local authorities seek the public’s assistance in bringing the responsible parties to justice. The call for community support highlights the difficulty law enforcement has in solving such incidents without witness cooperation.
Another attendee, who wished to remain anonymous, described the party as initially filled with families and children enjoying the festivities. “It was just a fun, family-oriented event until everything went wrong,” they said. The sudden eruption of violence caught everyone off guard, leading to a chaotic scramble for safety.
Martha Tims, a cousin of one of the victims, Chiquita Ewing, shared her anguish over the loss. “All of a sudden, I just kept hearing multiple gunshots, and everybody started running away. “So I went to the first person I saw lying on the ground, and someone told me there was another person shot behind him,” Tims told the local media. “I turned around and saw it was my cousin. I just broke down; she was lying there unresponsive. … It was utter chaos.”
Authorities are providing support for the victims and their families, who are reeling from the sudden loss and trauma. Community leaders are calling for unity and cooperation to prevent such incidents in the future and to ensure the safety of public gatherings.
The BCSO continues to ask anyone with information to come forward, emphasizing the importance of community involvement in resolving this case. “This is a tragic event that touches many lives in our community,” Reid said. “We are working hard to resolve this case, but we cannot do it alone.”