‘This is not a video game.’ Alabama police chief responds to graduation party shooting

An Alabama police chief responded to a shooting at a graduation party that injured six people by imploring youth not to pick up guns.

“The impulse to use firearms by the young people in our society is a tragedy and a shame,” Anniston police Chief Nick Bowles said in a news release on Facebook in response to the May 27 shooting. Anniston is 74 miles east of Birmingham.

Gunfire erupted in the early morning hours of May 27 at the party where about 150 people were in attendance, according to the Facebook post. The people at the party ranged in age from 14 to in their 20s.

Six people were struck by bullets, and at least one person was injured fleeing the scene, the news release says. None of the injuries were considered life-threatening.

Multiple vehicles were hit by stray bullets, and dozens of shell casings and several firearms were recovered from the scene. The investigation is still ongoing, according to police.

“Lives are fragile and precious,” Bowles said in the statement. “This is not a video game or movie. You don’t get to respawn. The other person doesn’t get another chance to play again.”

The Alabama shooting follows a teen gunman’s killing of 19 students and two teachers at a elementary school in Uvalde, Texas, on Tuesday, May 24, renewing the call for stricter gun control laws in the U.S.

This story was originally published May 27, 2022 at 3:52 PM with the headline "‘This is not a video game.’ Alabama police chief responds to graduation party shooting."