DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) – Law enforcement officials in Alabama on Sunday pleaded with people to come forward with information about a shooting that killed four people and injured 28 others during that time. at a teenager’s birthday party.
Among those killed was a high school senior who planned to play football in college and was celebrating his sister’s 16th birthday. The shooting erupted Saturday night at a dance studio in downtown Dadeville.
During two news conferences on Sunday, Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not respond to questions. He did not say if a suspect was in custody or if investigators knew any motive. He did not give the names of those killed.
“We need to have information from the community,” Burkett said at a news conference Sunday night.
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ party before he was shot to death, his grandmother Annette Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser.
“He was a very humble kid. Never interfered with anyone. He always had a smile on his face,” Allen told the newspaper, calling it “a million dollar smile.”
Dowdell’s mother was among those injured in the shooting.
“Everyone is grieving,” Allen said.
Burkett said the shooting happened around 10:30 pm on Saturday. “There were four lives tragically lost in this incident,” he said.
The shooting shook the city of 3,200 residents, which is about 57 miles (92 kilometers) northeast of Montgomery, Alabama.
Keenan Cooper, the party’s DJ, told WBMA-TV that the party was stopped for a moment when those in attendance heard someone with a gun. He said people with guns were asked to leave, but no one left. Cooper said that when the shooting started an hour later, some people took shelter under the table where he was standing, and others ran out.
Pastor Jason Whetstone, who heads the Christian Faith Fellowship, said the grandson of one of his church members was shot in the leg and underwent surgery on Sunday.
“All our hearts are broken today. We’re just trying to work together to find strength and comfort,” Whetstone said before an interfaith vigil in the parking lot of First Baptist Church.
“We are a loving community,” he said. “We’re pulling together every aspect to comfort each of these kids, the teachers, the whole community.”
Dadeville’s compact downtown is centered around a courthouse square with one- and two-story brick buildings. The city’s busiest commercial district is a few blocks north of the plaza, off a busy four-lane highway that runs between Birmingham and Auburn. Dadeville is near Lake Martin, a popular recreation area.
Investigators on Sunday continued to file in and out of the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, identified by a banner hanging outside a one-story brick building off the square. Less than a block away, American and Alabama flags were lowered to half-staff outside the Tallapoosa County Courthouse.
Dadeville Mayor Frank Goodman said he was sleeping when a council member called him just before 11 p.m. Saturday. He said he went to Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville, where some of the people who were shot were taken.
“It’s messy,” Goodman said. “There are people running around. They were crying and screaming. There were police cars everywhere, there were ambulances everywhere. People are trying to find out about their loved ones. It was a scene, where we have never had anything like this happen in our town before.
Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and the local high school football team, said most of the victims were teenagers. Dowdell is within weeks of graduating and faces a bright future, Hayes told The Associated Press.
“He’s a strong competitor on the field,” Hayes said. “You don’t want to try to confront him or confront him. But when he’s off the field, he’s one of the nicest young men you’ll ever meet, very polite and well-respected by his peers. .”
Antojuan Woody, from neighboring Camp Hill, is a senior and fellow wide receiver with Dowdell on a Dadeville Tigers football team that went undefeated before losing in the second round of the playoffs last year. He said he and Dowdell were best friends their entire lives. “It hurts,” Woody said as a steady stream of friends and teammates came to hug him during Sunday’s prayer vigil. “It’s not true. I can’t believe it.”
Woody said he and Dowdell have a special relationship on the football field. “We being friends forever like that, our chemistry was spot on. We always celebrate on the field,” he said.
He described the victims as “great people who did not deserve what happened to them.”
Hayes, the pastor, said worried families flocked to the local hospital Saturday night trying to find out how their children were doing. He said serious crime is rare in Dadeville, and the small town is “sad, traumatized, shocked.”
Jacksonville State football coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement Sunday: “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of last night’s senseless tragedy. He was a good young man with a bright future.”
Dowdell also recently won medals at Troy University’s high school track meet.
An advisory became available for students in Tallapoosa County schools on Monday, said the school district’s superintendent, Raymond C. Porter.
“This morning, I am saddened with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamans. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we remain closely updated with law enforcement as details emerge,” said Alabama Gov. For Ivey on social media.
President Joe Biden has been notified of the shooting, the White House said, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and is in contact with local officials and law enforcement to provide support.
“What has our country become when children can’t attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their children walk out the door to school, the movie theater, or the park ?” Biden in a statement on Sunday. “Guns are the number one killer of America’s children, and the numbers are going up — not going down. This is offensive and unacceptable. “
Biden called on Congress to “require safe storage of firearms, require background checks for all gun sales, eliminate the immunity of gun manufacturers from liability, and ban assault weapons.” attack and high-capacity magazines.”
The mayor said Dowdell was a “good young man.” He also said that he was worried about the wounded and psychologically traumatized by the shooting.
“We’re praying for them,” Goodman said. “We ask God, if it is his will, to return them to their parents safely, so that they can heal.”
Goodman said guns and violence are not constant presences in Dadeville. He said trying to control guns would prove as futile as trying to control illegal drugs.
Dadeville High School will have 485 students in grades 6-12 by 2022, according to Alabama state data. It serves Dadeville and surrounding parts of Tallapoosa County. Like the rest of Dadeville, it’s tucked out of sight on a busy highway that runs from Birmingham to Auburn.
Dadeville High head football coach Roger McDonald said he will do everything he can to support the grieving students.
“There’s no playbook for something like this,” he said. “So the best thing you should do is love your children, let them all know how much you care about them, you are there for them.”
McDonald said Dowdell had something special.
“He is a leader, and as far as his abilities, an inspirational player,” the coach said.
Michael Taylor, an assistant coach, said he met Dowdell when the boy was 9 and coached him in youth football. Taylor said the team was invited to Atlanta to play in the stadium used by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons.
“He did some amazing things there, and he hasn’t stopped doing it since,” he said. “He was the No. 1 athlete in the school.”
Taylor said he last heard from Dowdell on Friday, when Dowdell sought a video of his athletic exploits. Taylor said he drove to the shooting scene Saturday night from his home in nearby Camp Hill.
“Man, I can’t get close,” Taylor said. “So when I found out what was going on, I really had to leave because it was all night.”
Taylor said she returned Sunday to see Dowdle’s body being carried out of the dance studio. He said he wasn’t sure what to say to the other athletes Monday.
“The first thing we have to do is we have to pray our way out of this,” Taylor said Sunday. “There is no other way. And then I can tell you, they are all real close like family in high school.”
This is at least the second time in recent years that multiple people have been shot in Dadeville. Five people were wounded in July 2016 during a shooting at an American Legion hall, and a man was later charged with five counts of attempted murder, news outlets reported.
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Chandler reported from Huntsville, Alabama.