Mass shooting at teen birthday leaves four dead, 28 injured

Authorities refused to say whether a suspect was in custody after the shooting devastated a small Alabama town

Four people were were killed and 28 injured after a teenager’s birthday celebration descended into mayhem in a small Alabama town on Saturday night. A full day later, authorities were still tight-lipped as to whether they had any suspects in custody, but insisted there was no longer any threat to the community.

The shooting started at around 10:30 pm at a dance studio in downtown Dadeville, home to some 3,200 people, near Montgomery, Alabama.

Most of the victims were teenagers, according to local media. Police reported a “wide variety of injuries,” with least 15 suffering gunshot wounds, and nine believed to be in critical condition. 

Read more

Authorities have held multiple press conferences since the incident, but refused to say whether the suspect had been arrested, or to provide any indication of what may have led to the shooting.

“We’ve got to have information from the community,” Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said during the latest presser on Sunday evening, urging witnesses to come forward.

Authorities also witheld the names of the victims, but one of those killed was identified by his family as Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a high school senior who planned to play college football for Jacksonville State University. The shooting apparently happened during the celebration of his sister’s 16th birthday.