Four people killed and 28 injured in Alabama shooting at birthday party
Four people killed and 28 injured in Alabama shooting at birthday party
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In a shooting that broke out at a birthday celebration held inside a dance studio in the small Alabama town of Dadeville, at least four people were slain, including a high school football star, state police and local media reported.
Authorities reported that during the shooting, which occurred roughly 60 miles (100 km) north-northeast of Montgomery, the state capital, more than 28 individuals were hurt, some gravely. On Saturday night, just after 10.30 p.m., the shooting began.
Law enforcement officials asked individuals to come forward with information but did not immediately confirm whether a suspect was in custody.
"We're going to continue to work in a very methodical way to go through this scene, to look at the facts, and to ensure that justice is brought to bear for the families," said Jeremy Burkett, a sergeant with the Alabama law enforcement agency, during a news conference on Sunday.
At a news conference on Sunday night, Burkett stated, "We need information from the community.
"What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear?" asked President Joe Biden in a statement on Sunday. Biden referred to the rising gun violence in the US as "outrageous and unacceptable" and urged Congress to enact legislation that would increase the liability of gun manufacturers for gun violence, outlaw assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines, mandate safe storage of firearms, and establish background checks for gun sales.
According to his grandma Annette Allen, Philstavious "Phil" Dowdell, a senior at Dadeville High School who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was having fun at his sister Alexis's party when he was fatally murdered.
He was a child who was incredibly humble. never misbehaved against anyone. Always had a smile on his face," Allen told the newspaper, calling it "a million-dollar smile."
One of the victims of the incident was Dowdell's mother. Everyone is in mourning, Allen added.
The majority of the victims, according to Pastor Ben Hayes, the chaplain for both the local high school football team and the Dadeville police department, were teens. According to Hayes, Dowdell had just a few weeks left before graduating and had a promising career.
On the field, he was a fierce competitor, according to Hayes. You didn't want to attempt a tackle on him or risk being tackled yourself. But after the game, he was one of the sweetest young guys you could ever meet, who was well-liked and respected by his teammates.
According to Hayes, anxious families flocked to the neighborhood hospital on Saturday night to inquire about the wellbeing of their kids. He claimed that Dadeville, a small city, was "sad, traumatized, and in shock" due to the rarity of violent crimes there.
On the field, he was a fierce competitor, according to Hayes. You didn't want to attempt a tackle on him or risk being tackled yourself. But after the game, he was one of the sweetest young guys you could ever meet, who was well-liked and respected by his teammates.
According to Hayes, anxious families flocked to the neighborhood hospital on Saturday night to inquire about the wellbeing of their kids. He claimed that Dadeville, a small city, was "sad, traumatized, and in shock" due to the rarity of violent crimes there.
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| In a shooting in Dadeville, Alabama, a dance studio, at least four persons were slain. Photograph: Cheney Orr/Reuters © Provided by The Guardian |
At a press conference, Dadeville police chief Jonathan Floyd declared: "What we've dealt with is something no community should have to experience. Just be patient, please. Even if the process will take some time, I sincerely ask for your prayers.
On Sunday, more than 12 hours after the incident, detectives kept coming and going from the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio.
Less than a block away, at the Tallapoosa County Courthouse, authorities gathered while the American and Alabama flags were lowered to half-staff.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey posted on Twitter, "This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians."
"Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are closely following up with law enforcement as new information becomes available."
The need for a permit to carry a concealed weapon in public was abolished in 2022 when Ivey signed a bill into law. It had received advocacy from the National Rifle Association (NRA).
Ivey was portrayed pulling a weapon out of her purse in a campaign ad for her re-election last year as she emphasized her pro-gun stance and called the second amendment "sacred."
According to a 2020 research by Everytown, an organization that aims to increase gun safety and prevent gun violence, Alabama has the third-highest rate of gun deaths in the US.
Biden asked what was wrong “when parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park? Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising – not declining. This is outrageous and unacceptable.”
Biden urged Congress to "require safe storage of firearms, require background checks for all gun sales, eliminate gun manufacturers' immunity from liability, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines".
A few days after a shooter shot and killed five people in the city, two people were killed in a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday night. According to the Associated Press, an unnamed suspect opened fire with a gun into a large crowd in Louisville's Chickasaw Park, killing two people and injuring four more.
When a guy opened fire with an assault-style rifle at the Louisville bank where he worked on Monday, five people were killed. There were eight more injuries.
Craig Greenberg, the mayor of Louisville, said on Saturday night that "this has been an unspeakable week of tragedy for our city." Five of our neighbors died on Monday as a result of a horrifying act of workplace gun violence, according to Greenberg. And now, five days later, we're in another location where a careless use of firearms has occurred.
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