Alabama mass shooting suspect who allegedly killed 4 is now linked to 10 others murders in spate of shootings

A suspected “spree killer” who was arrested in October following three deadly incidents in Alabama, including a mass shooting outside a nightclub, has now been charged in connection with three more murder investigations.

Damien McDaniel, 22, has been charged with capital murder of a first responder in the shooting of two Birmingham firefighters in July 2023, according to the Birmingham Police Department.

In addition, McDaniel is now also charged with murder in the January 2024 death of Mia Nickson and murder-for-hire in the April 2024 death of UPS driver Anthony Love Jr.

The new charges mean that he is now allegedly connected to 14 murders in the Birmingham area and is accused of injuring at least 29 people. Here is a look at the cases stacking up against McDaniel so far:

Alleged murder and attempted murder of firefighters

On Tuesday BPD announced that McDaniel had been charged over the fatal shooting of Birmingham firefighter Jordan Melton who was shot and killed on July 12, 2023, at Fire Station #9, in the Norwood community.

A second firefighter, Sergeant Jamal Jones, was also shot during this incident but survived according to the force. McDaniel has been charged with both capital murder of a first responder and attempted murder.

“We are appreciative of the Melton and Malone Family, BFRS Chief Cory Moon, and all of our brothers and sisters of the BFRS for their patience as we diligently continued to work on this case to bring a person to justice,” the force said in an online post.

“BPD extends gratitude to our esteemed partners, including the Jefferson County DistrictAttorney’s Office, ATF, FBI, and Crime Stoppers, for their invaluable collaboration throughout this investigation.

“I hope that with the formal charges that you all see today, along with the large number of continuous arrests that you have recently, is sending the clear message that BPD will not let up. BPD is LOCKED IN.”

Alleged murder of Anthony Lamar Love Jr and Tia Nickson

BPD also announced on Tuesday that McDaniel had been charged with alleged murder for hire, over the death of Anthony Lamar Love Jr. Love Jr was shot and killed on April 9 2024, at a United Parcel Service facility.

McDaniel was charged alongside Charles Nance, 41, of Pinson, Alabama. Nance is also charged with capital murder (murder for hire.)

BPD detectives also obtained a warrant for an arrest in connection to the murder of Mia Nickson on January 10 2024. McDaniel has been charged with intentional murder in the case.

Hush nightclub ‘mass shooting’ and ‘spree killing’

In October 2024, McDaniel was arrested and charged with capital murder and 17 counts of first-degree assault over the shootings that occurred within four days of each other. The United States Bureau of Justice Statistics has defined a spree killing as “killings at two or more locations with almost no time break between murders.”

Four people died during an incident at the Hush bar in Birmingham on September 21, in what police described as a targeted “hit” by multiple shooters. A mass shooting is defined as an incident in which at least four people are shot or killed, not including the shooter.

Three other suspects were identified in the Hush shooting as Demarco Beck Jr, 29, Ny’Quan Lollar, 22, and Larry Rollins Jr, 31.

At the time of his arrest, McDaniel was also charged with murder over the killing of a single mother, 35-year-old Diontrante Tinae Brown, on September 19. No link between her and the Hush shooting has been established.

A day after the mass shooting at Hush, on September 22, 32-year-old Jamarcus McIntyre was also gunned down in the area close by. The same four suspects were implicated in his murder, though again, a direct link to the events of the previous day is unknown.

Only McDaniel has been charged over McIntyre’s killing. Police say all three homicide cases are linked but they have not publicly disclosed what may have connected the deaths, according to AL.com.

Following the incident, police said that they believed the killings at Hush were the result of a “hit” – a murder-for-hire targeting at least one of the men killed in the shooting.

The victims

The four victims of the Hush mass shooting were Anitra Holloman, 21, Tahj Booker, 27, Roderick Lynn Patterson Jr, 26, and Carlos McCain, 27.

Neither Holloman and Booker had criminal histories. Holloman had been in a relationship with a man named Demetris Silliman Jr, who was found shot to death on October 11, 2022. No one was charged over his death.

However, the two other men – Patterson and McCain – had both previously faced murder charges, and both had been acquitted. Patterson was previously charged with murder over the death of 20-year-old Dentarius Maurice Jackson on June 28, 2021. The case was dismissed, with prosecutors citing “death, unavailability, and non-cooperation of witnesses.”

McCain was acquitted of murder and attempted murder in 2017 in the shooting death of 15-year-old Minor High School student Kelvon Julius. Police said the teenager’s death was in retaliation for another shooting in 2015.

“You have a common suspect, for one thing that’s charged, in all three…. This is just one step in moving forward. There’s a lot more to come in these investigations as we prepare for court,” Birmingham police Chief Scott Thurmond said previously.

Police investigations

The investigation is continuing into all the homicides.

“After the horrific shooting at Five Points South, we vowed that our priority would be to find, capture and arrest every person responsible for this heinous and brazen mass shooting,” Mayor Randall Woodfin posted on Facebook.

“We told you this is what we’d do, and this is what we did. Today was a major step toward justice,” Woodfin wrote.

McDaniel was arrested by Birmingham police in October 2024 and was placed in the Jefferson County Jail.

When his probation was revoked on December 12, he was transferred to the custody of the Alabama Department of Corrections.