BIRMINGHAM, AL (WBRC) -
Birmingham Police shut down all lanes of I-59 northbound near 22nd Street North Friday night after officers were involved in a shooting.
Police say that two officers shot two suspects and sources tell FOX6 News that Mayor William Bell and his security details were on the scene.
The incident happened around 8 p.m. Police were initially dispatched to a shooting in the 300 block of 8th Avenue North. Many details are still developing but police say that another call came in for officers to respond to I-59 at 22nd Street north where shots were fired. Sources say that the mayor's security staff jumped in to assist police at that scene.
Officers say that a male and female were hit and they were taken to the hospital for treatment. One suspect reportedly threw a handgun and another item over the interstate to the ground below. FOX6 News captured police below the interstate investigating throughout the night.
A third suspect has been taken into custody for questioning.
Police diverted traffic off of I-59 onto 17th Street North to avoid their activity. Traffic was at almost a standstill in the area for around 3 hours.
Birmingham Police Captain Henry Irby says that the case has been turned over the ABI and the mayor's office is expected to release a statement about the security staff's role in the incident.
Check back to MyFoxAl.com as this story develops.
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Another image from FOX6's tower cam shows the traffic backed up.
Officers guard the scene underneath the highway where they recovered a handgun and another item. Source: WBRC video
Police diverting traffic onto 17th Street North. Source: WBRC tower cam
Another image from FOX6's tower cam shows the traffic backed up.
