Shooting at a children's party in Alabama leaves 4 dead, 28 injured

On April 15, around 22:30 p.m., a mass shooting occurred in Dadeville, Alabama at a Sweet 16 birthday celebration. 4 people died and at least 28 were injured, reports CNN.

Photo: IStock

Authorities have yet to release details of the suspected or possible motive, nor have they disclosed what led to the shooting.

Among those killed were the birthday girl's brother, Filstavius ​​Dowdell, a talented football player, a community favorite, according to Ben Hayes, the chaplain of the Dadeville High School football team, and Keenan Cooper, who was the DJ at the party when the shooting began.

Just weeks before the shooting, Dowdell told assistant football coach Michael Taylor, "If anything happens to me, even when I go to college, take care of my two sisters."

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As a result of the shooting, dozens of party-goers received "various injuries" and some were in critical condition.

Hayes, who is also a church pastor and chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department, spent Saturday evening at the hospital where several victims were taken and comforted the students and families gathered there.

“It’s a very close, close-knit community. Everyone knows everyone. That's why it's so difficult. I knew these kids personally, like most people,” he said.

“The physical, mental and emotional health of students is my priority right now,” said Dadeville City Councilwoman Tenishia Goodman-Johnson. "We have to make sure they're okay."

Meanwhile, investigators continue to collect information about the shooting.

“We are receiving continuous updates throughout the day and we are trying to understand what happened there on the spot,” police said.

Police also urged anyone with information about the incident to contact law enforcement.

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The Dadeville incident came less than two hours after reports of a shooting in a crowded park in Louisville, Kentucky were received. As a result of this shooting, two people were killed and four wounded. There have been more than 2023 mass shootings in 160, given incidents this weekend, according to the Archive of Gun Violence. The archive defines mass shootings as shootings of four or more people, not counting the shooter.

President Joe Biden reacted to the shootings in Deadville and Louisville in an April 16 statement. He said he was praying for the families of the victims and reiterated his call for Congress to reach an agreement on gun control legislation.

“What has our nation come to when children cannot go to a birthday party without fear? When do parents have to worry every time their kids leave the house for school, the movie theater, or the park?” Biden said.

What is known about the victims

Although authorities have not yet released the names of those killed, several people who knew Dowdell identified him as one of the victims and described him as a beloved student-athlete with incredible potential.

Taylor, who said he has coached Dowdell since he was 9 years old, described him as an outstanding athlete. “God blessed him, he did everything he did,” the coach said of his deceased student.

Dowdell was only a few weeks away from release. He received a scholarship to Jacksonville State University in Alabama.

Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez released a statement on April 16 calling Dowdell "a great young man with a bright future."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Filstavius ​​Dowdell and the other victims of last night's senseless tragedy," Rodriguez said. Johnson, a city council member, said she knew Dowdell and two other victims, whom she described as smart kids with a "very bright future."

“Very athletic, very humble kids, very well-mannered kids,” Johnson said. “They just wanted to have fun.”

Keke Nicole Smith, 18, a volleyball player and manager of her school's track and field team, was also killed. She is described as an "always smiling" girl. She was in high school and was looking forward to attending the University of Alabama.

Injuries

Those injured in the shooting were taken to several medical facilities, including at least 15 teenagers who were taken to Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville.

Six of the wounded have been treated and discharged, while the other nine have been transferred to other facilities, hospital spokeswoman Heidi Smith said April 16. By the morning of April 16, five of these teenagers were in critical condition and four were in stable condition.

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Russell Medical Center in nearby Alexander City "accepted a few patients" after the shooting at the party, according to spokeswoman Susan Foy.

“They were either treated and released or transferred to other facilities,” Foy said. She did not confirm how many patients were admitted or their age.

At least one of the injured was a student from the town of Pike Road, about 90 kilometers southwest of Dadeville, Pike Road Schools said in a Facebook statement. It is not clear what injuries the student suffered and what his status is.

“Many of our students know the victims of this tragedy. We continue to pray for their full recovery. We can confirm that one of our students was present there,” Pike Road Schools said in a statement.

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