AlabamaFour people were killed and 28 others wounded in a shooting at a birthday party Saturday night in an Alabama city, authorities said.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett, a spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said the shooting in Dadeville occurred around 10:34 p.m. At news conferences Sunday, authorities did not provide information on who opened fire or why. that.
The shooting occurred at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. Dadeville is about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, and about 3,000 people live there.
The studio hosted Zumba and line dance classes for children and teens and had been rehearsing for a dance showcase celebrating its two-year anniversary on April 29, according to its Facebook page. A representative for the studio could not immediately be reached on Sunday.
At least 15 teens were treated for gunshot wounds, said Heidi Smith, a spokeswoman for Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville.
He said nine of the teens were transferred to another hospital for a higher level of care and that five of those nine were in critical condition. There were 17 ambulances on the scene after the shooting, Smith said.
On Sunday morning, residents dealt with the shooting, which took place at a 16th birthday party, said Ben Hayes, senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church who is also a chaplain for the city’s Police Department.
Philstavious Dowdell, a Dadeville High School football player known as Phil who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was among those killed, the pastor said.
Mr. Dowdell was 18 years old and it was his younger sister’s birthday party, according to Michael Taylor, the coach at Dadeville High School.
She said that Mr. Dowdell’s sister was a cheerleader who cheered for all sports in high school and that many of the athletes she had supported came out to celebrate.
“Everyone is like a family, like brothers and sisters in a small town,” Taylor said. “All this town is in disbelief, as if it were a dream.”
Jacksonville State University football head coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement that Mr. Dowdell was a “great young man with a bright future.”
