Authorities said a third person has been charged in a mass shooting in Alabama that killed two people and wounded a dozen others, as investigators continued to piece together the events that left a community reeling and stretched local emergency services. Police and prosecutors released few immediate details about the newly filed charges, saying only that the arrest followed continuing investigative work and that additional legal actions could follow.

The shooting, which officials say involved multiple victims at a single scene, sent 12 people to nearby hospitals; two were pronounced dead at the scene. Investigators have already arrested two other suspects in the case, bringing the total number of people charged to three, law enforcement officials said. Prosecutors declined to provide a motive and said the investigation remains active, asking anyone with information to come forward.

Local leaders described a small city’s shock and grief. “We are heartbroken for the families of those killed and for everyone injured,” a county official said in a statement, urging calm while the criminal case moves through the courts. Community members, who gathered at vigils and outside the municipal building, pressed officials for answers and better prevention measures as they sought to support survivors and the families of the deceased.

Beyond the immediate human toll, the episode underscores the economic and public-health burdens that mass shootings impose on communities. Hospitals incur rapid, high-cost emergency expenses when treating multiple gunshot victims, and survivors often require extended rehabilitation and mental-health services. Researchers have documented that violent incidents depress local economic activity, reduce foot traffic for small businesses and can lower property values, particularly when shootings are perceived as recurrent rather than isolated.

Nationally, mass shootings—defined differently by various organizations—occur with distressing frequency. Public-data trackers and federal statistics show hundreds of multi-victim shootings each year, while the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports roughly 48,000 firearm deaths annually in recent years when suicides and homicides are combined. Policymakers and advocates say that combination of a high baseline of firearm mortality and episodic mass shootings demands a multifaceted response, from law-enforcement resources to community-based violence-intervention programs.

State and municipal officials face policy choices that will shape the local response. Some call for stricter enforcement and cross-jurisdictional cooperation to disrupt networks they say can contribute to gun violence. Others, emphasizing prevention, advocate funding for hospital-based violence intervention, youth programs and improved social services. Each approach carries costs and uncertain short-term payoffs, but analysts note that investments in prevention can lower long-term economic and social burdens.

As the case proceeds through the courts, the community’s immediate concerns remain practical and urgent: ensuring survivors receive medical and psychological care, securing public spaces, and restoring a sense of safety. The charged suspects will face prosecution under state law, and local officials say they will continue to coordinate with state and federal partners while pursuing accountability. The investigation’s outcome will be watched closely by residents and policymakers seeking both justice and ways to prevent the next tragedy.