Tuscaloosa Police are on the scene of a shooting Tuesday morning July 17, 2012 in downtown Tuscaloosa, Ala. after a gunman opened fire outside a crowded bar, wounding 17 people. Police were still searching for a suspect. (AP Photo/Tuscaloosa News, Robert Sutton)
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TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — A gunman fired into a crowded downtown bar, then shot people as they ran out, leaving 17 injured including two critically, police in the University of Alabama's hometown said Tuesday.
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The gunman fired first through a window, then shot at people outside as they fled the bar, Tuscaloosa Police Chief Steve Anderson told The Associated Press.
He said the shooter, who has not been identified, never went inside during the assault early Tuesday.
"He was standing outside. He fired all of his shots from outside," Anderson said.
The chief said 17 people were taken to the hospital as a result of the shootings, but it's possible that some of them had injuries from ricochet fire or other causes.
Hospital spokesman Brad Fisher said 17 people were treated at DCH Regional Medical Center.
Four of the victims were admitted to the hospital, and two of those were receiving critical care, Fisher said.
The shooting took place around 12:30 a.m. CDT Tuesday at the Copper Top bar, and police were still working to identify the shooter around 8 a.m., Tuscaloosa police Sgt. Brent Blankley said.
Surveillance video released by police showed a man described as a suspect. He is seen from the back as he walks down a sidewalk with what appears to be a gun in one hand.
Riley Dunn, a University of Alabama senior who was injured in the shooting, estimated that there were 80 to 90 people in the area at the time. One gunshot rang out, then about 20 seconds later "that's when he really started firing them off" and everyone scattered, Dunn said.
There were trails of blood in the area around the Copper Top, Justin McDaniel told the Tuscaloosa newspaper. McDaniel said he wasn't hit by the gunfire, but his shirt was stained with other people's blood.
The Copper Top is part of a row of bars and restaurants near a downtown square in an area that's home to several nightspots and is popular with students from the university. The business is about a block from Tuscaloosa City Hall.
Tuesday morning, the area was cordoned off with yellow police tape.
Police were planning a 10 a.m. news conference to discuss the shooting.
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Martin reported from Atlanta.
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