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Alabama Alcoholic Beverage and Control Board Administrator Curtis Stewart has responded to Gov. Kay Ivey’s request for ideas about changes in alcohol policy that could improve public safety. Ivey asked Stewart for suggestions after the mass shooting in downtown Montgomery on Oct. 4, a busy Saturday night in the capital city’s entertainment district. “Public safety is paramount, and the state will continue being proactive to ensure safe communities for our citizens. I appreciate Administrator Stewart evaluating how we can take commonsense steps when it comes to alcohol consumption in entertainment districts across our state,” Ivey said Tuesday. “I support the immediate steps he is proposing the ABC Board take, and I look forward to further exploring possible reasonable policy changes to enhance public safety.” Two people were killed and 12 others wounded. A few days after the shooting, the governor announced that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency would expand the patrols for state troopers assigned to the capital complex to cover more of downtown Montgomery. Ivey also announced at that time that she was seeking ideas from Stewart. In Stewart’s letter to the governor, he said the ABC Board would consider changes to its administrative rules that would not require new legislation: Prohibiting package stores in an entertainment district from selling products such as cups and ice that facilitate drinking in public. Limiting the amount of alcohol that special retail licensees can sell for off-premises consumption. Stewart suggested that the Legislature consider: Imposing a curfew for minors in entertainment districts. Restricting giveaways of alcohol at large public events in entertainment districts by public entities. Allowing the state to suspend or terminate an entertainment district if public safety standards are not met. “We are certainly open to other ideas as well, and we stand ready to work with any legislator who would like to pursue these or other reforms during the Legislature’s 2026 Regular Session,” Stewart wrote. The Montgomery City Council had previously responded to the shooting by suspending privileges that allowed patrons to carry alcoholic beverages outside within the downtown entertainment district. Under the city’s new rules, restaurants and bars can still offer outdoor seating where customers can drink. But people cannot take the drinks beyond those designated areas. Killed in the shooting were 17-year-old Jeremiah Morris,a standout student at Rise Academy, and 43-year-old Shalanda Williams,a beloved mother of three. Police have charged four suspects. Kemontae Hood, 21, is charged with one count of capital murder, nine counts of first-degree assault and three counts of second-degree assault. 19-year-old Dantavious McGhee and an unnamed juvenile are charged with capital murder of two or more people, nine counts of first-degree assault, and three counts of second-degree assault. 19-year-old Javorick Whiting was arrested on an attempted murder charge. He is charged in the wounding of one of the surviving victims, court records show. Whiting was released from the Montgomery County Detention Facility on $60,000 bond, which is the highest bond for that charge allowed by law. The governor said Whiting’s release highlighted the need to expand Aniah’s Law, which allows prosecutors to request that defendants accused of certain violent crimes be held without bail. Voters will decide on a constitutional amendment in May that would add attempted murder to the charges that fall under Aniah’s Law. Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed and Police Chief Jim Graboys also spoke out about Whiting’s release, with Reed calling the bond amount “a slap in the face” and Graboys calling for the expansion of Aniah’s Law.
