A south Alabama mayor is upset with recent comments made by Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch regarding gang violence after he said he wishes “we could be put them in the same arena and let them kill the hell out of each other.”

Burch’s comments were made Wednesday after a 2-year-old boy was shot in the face in Prichard as he slept in bed with his parents.

Burch said in a press conference that the shooting was gang-related and was frustrated due to innocent people being harmed as a result of the feuds.

“It’s gangs and frankly, I wish we could put them in the same arena and let them kill the hell out of each other,” Burch said. “That would solve the problem. It’s the innocent people who get shot.”

But Prichard Mayor Jimmie Gardner took exception to Burch’s comments and posted a video on Facebook calling them, “inhumane and unrealistic.”

“To imply such an inhumane and unrealistic approach to public safety is unacceptable from any public official, especially one in a position of law enforcement leadership,” Gardner said.

“These are not just issues to casually discuss or project personal frustrations onto — they are real, devastating tragedies that destroy families, traumatize children, and scar entire neighborhoods.”

Gardner said that although Burch acknowledged innocent people get hurt as a result of the violence the sheriff’s “choice of language undermines the seriousness of this crisis.”

Gardner also rebutted Burch’s claim that the Prichard Police Department did not respond to a 4 a.m. shooting on Wednesday.

Gardner said that the call logs demonstrated that Prichard’s dispatcher never received a call at that time and questioned why Burch would make such a claim when evidence proved otherwise.

Burch has repeatedly criticized Prichard’s Police Department and on Wednesday again stated that it was, “failing the citizens of that city.”

Gardner said the focus should be on collaboration not finger-pointing.

“I have, on many occasions, publicly expressed appreciation for the manpower and resources the Sheriff’s Office has provided to the City of Prichard,” Gardner said.

“But I will not stand by in silence while inflammatory, misleading, and harmful rhetoric is used to cast blame or distract from the real work needed to address crime. We must focus on accountability, collaboration, and proactive solutions – not finger-pointing or gaslighting.”