4 people injured in 'shootout' on highway in Birmingham, Alabama: Police

Four people were injured in a "shootout" Friday afternoon on a busy highway in Birmingham, Alabama, police said.

A woman who is considered a person of interest is in custody, police said.

The incident occurred southbound on Interstate 59 at the 20th Street Ensley exit around 4:40 p.m. local time, Birmingham police said.

The shooting is believed to have stemmed from a confrontation over an alleged stolen vehicle, Birmingham Officer Truman Fitzgerald said.

"We believe that a group of individuals saw their stolen vehicle, or alleged stolen vehicle, and they began following that vehicle," Fitzgerald told reporters during a press briefing.

"This party sees their possible stolen vehicle and they took it upon themselves to confront this group. A shootout ensued between both groups," he continued.

Four men were shot, all of whom were involved in the city, Fitzgerald said. No bystanders were injured, he said.

Responding officers found two men at the scene with suspected life-threatening injuries, Fitzgerald said. They were traveling in the alleged stolen vehicle, which was disabled in the shooting, he said. Birmingham Fire & Rescue transported them to UAB Hospital.

The other two shooting victims self-transported to UAB Hospital with non-life-threatening injuries, Fitzgerald said.

The four shooting victims are considered suspects, Fitzgerald said. Their ages were not immediately available.

The person of interest is believed to have been in the party that confronted the alleged stolen vehicle, he said.

Police do not yet know how many shots were fired.

"It was a large shootout," Fitzgerald said.

Both parties are believed to have traveled to Birmingham from a neighboring city, according to Fitzgerald, who declined to identify the city at this time.

The interstate is shut down indefinitely amid the investigation and police are working to reroute drivers.

Fitzgerald decried the highway shooting.

"If this was the case that this party saw their possible stoeln vehicle, all they had to do was call 911," he said. "That's why we put on that uniform and that bullet-proof vest, to be put in those situations. But here you have someone that possibly took it upon themselves to confront a group, and now here you have a shootout on the interstate at 4:40 pm."