Police in Alabama were pleading with witnesses to come forward with information about a shooting that occurred at a teen’s birthday party on Sunday and left four people dead and 28 others injured.
A high school senior who intended to play college football and was commemorating his sister’s 16th birthday was among those who perished. A dance studio in downtown Dadeville was the scene of the shooting on Saturday night.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency did not take questions at two press appearances on Sunday. He omitted to mention whether a suspect was in police custody or whether detectives were aware of any motives. He omitted to give the names of those who died.
At a news conference on Sunday night, Burkett stated, “We need information from the community.
According to his grandma Annette Allen, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a senior at Dadeville High School who had pledged to attend Jacksonville State University, was having fun at his sister Alexis’ party when he was fatally murdered.
He was a child who was incredibly humble. never misbehaved against anyone. He always had a smile on his face, which Allen described as “a million-dollar smile,” he told the newspaper.
One of the victims of the incident was Dowdell’s mother.
Everyone is in mourning, Allen added.
According to Burkett, the shooting happened on Saturday night around 10:30. In this occurrence, four lives were sadly lost, he stated.
The 3,200-person city, which is located 57 miles (92 kilometers) northeast of Montgomery, Alabama, was shaken by the shootings.
The celebration was temporarily interrupted when participants heard that someone had a gun, according to Keenan Cooper, the DJ who was there, who spoke to WBMA-TV. He claimed that even though persons with guns were requested to leave, nobody did. Cooper claimed that when the shooting started later, some people took cover beneath the table where he was standing while others fled.
The granddaughter of one of the members of the Christian Faith Fellowship, according to pastor Jason Whetstone, was shot in the foot on Sunday and had surgery.
“Right now, our hearts are suffering for one another. During an interfaith vigil in the First Baptist Church parking lot, Whetstone remarked, “We’re simply trying to pull together to find strength and consolation.
He declared, “We are a loving community. To console each and every one of these children, the instructors, and the entire community, “we’re working together in every aspect.”
The courthouse square, which is the focal point of Dadeville’s small downtown, is surrounded by one- and two-story brick buildings. A few streets north of the square, near a busy four-lane highway that connects Birmingham and Auburn, is where the town’s busiest commercial area is located. A well-liked recreation area called Lake Martin is adjacent to Dadeville.
On Sunday, investigators persisted in coming and going from the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, which is indicated by a banner that hangs outside of a one-story brick structure off the square. The studio’s front windows showed at least five bullet holes. The Tallapoosa County Courthouse was less than a block away, and the American and Alabama flags were flown at half-staff.
Frank Goodman, the mayor of Dadeville, claimed that just before 11 p.m. on Saturday, a council member called while he was fast asleep in bed. He claimed to have visited the Dadeville facility where several of the shot victims were being treated, Lake Martin Community Hospital.
It was chaotic, according to Goodman. “People were scurrying about. They screamed and sobbed. Ambulances and police cars could be seen all over the place. Individuals were looking for information on their family members. We had never seen anything like that happen in our city before, so it was a unique scene.
The majority of the casualties, according to Reverend Ben Hayes, the chaplain for both the local high school football team and the Dadeville Police Department, are 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.
Antojuan Woody, a senior wide receiver from the nearby hamlet of Camp Hill, played alongside Dowdell on a Dadeville Tigers football team that went undefeated until falling in the playoff round the previous season. He asserted that they had been Dowdell’s closest pals for their whole lives.
During the prayer vigil on Sunday, Woody said, “It aches,” as a continuous stream of his friends and teammates approached him to give him hugs. It is surreal. I’m in disbelief.
Woody claimed that Dowdell and he shared a unique bond on the football field. “We were going to be friends for life like that; our chemistry was perfect. On the pitch, we would always celebrate together, he recalled.
“Great people who didn’t deserve what happened to them,” he said of the victims.
The pastor, Hayes, reported that frightened parents flocked to the neighborhood hospital on Saturday night to inquire about the wellbeing of their kids. The small city of Dadeville, he claimed, is “sad, devastated, and in shock,” and serious crime is uncommon there.
In a statement released on Sunday, Jacksonville State football coach Rich Rodriguez said: “Our thoughts and prayers are with Philstavious Dowdell’s family and the other victims of the awful event last night. He was a wonderful young man who has a promising future.
At a recent high school track competition held at Troy University, Dowdell also took home medals.
According to Raymond C. Porter, the superintendent of the school district, counseling services will be offered to children at Tallapoosa County schools starting on Monday.
“I weep with the residents of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamans this morning. The governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, declared on social media that violent crime “had NO place in our state. We are closely informed by law enforcement as details emerge.
The White House announced that President Joe Biden had been briefed on the shooting and that it is actively following the situation and has been in contact with local authorities and law enforcement to offer support.
What has happened to our country that kids can’t go to a birthday celebration without getting scared? When do parents have to be concerned every time their children leave the house for school, the movies, or the park?” In a statement on Sunday, Biden stated. “Guns are the number one cause of child fatalities in America, and the rate is increasing rather than decreasing. This is unacceptable and outrageous.
“Require safe storage of firearms, impose background checks for all gun transactions, remove the immunity from the accountability of gun manufacturers, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines,” was Biden’s demand to Congress.
Dowdell was described as “a great young man” by the mayor. Also, he expressed compassion for the victims of the incident who were hurt and psychologically disturbed.
Goodman stated, “We are praying for them. “If it’s God’s will, we pray that He would bring them safely back to their parents so they may heal.”
According to Goodman, violence and guns are not common occurrences in Dadeville. Trying to control weapons, he claimed, would be pointless, much like trying to control illegal substances.
According to data from the state of Alabama, Dadeville High School had 485 students in grades 6 through 12 in 2022. It serves Dadeville and surrounding Tallapoosa County regions. It is hidden away barely out of sight of a busy roadway that runs from Birmingham to Auburn, like the rest of Dadeville.
Roger McDonald, the head football coach at Dadeville High, promised to do all in his power to console bereaved kids.
There isn’t a guidebook for this kind of situation, he said. The greatest thing to do, then, is to simply love your children, show them all how much you care about them, and always be there for them.
McDonald claimed Dowdell possessed a unique quality.
He was a leader and, in terms of his skill, an electrifying player, according to the coach.
A youth football coach named Michael Taylor claimed to have coached Dowdell when he was 9 years old. According to Taylor, the group received an invitation to play in the Atlanta Falcons’ stadium.
He stated, “There, he accomplished some great things, and he never ceased doing them since then.” He was ranked as the best athlete in the school.
Taylor claimed that Dowdell sought a film of his athletic achievements on Friday, the day after he last spoke with Dowdell. From his house in adjacent Camp Hill, Taylor claimed he drove to the shooting scene on Saturday night.
Wow, I couldn’t get near, Taylor remarked. Hence, as soon as I realized what was happening, I had no choice but to leave as the event would last all night.
Taylor claimed to have gone back on Sunday to witness Dowdle’s body being removed from the dancing studio. On Monday, he said, he was not sure what he’ll say to the other athletes.
Several persons have been shot in Dadeville at least twice in recent years. A gunshot at an American Legion hall left five people injured in July 2016, and a guy was later charged with five counts of attempted murder, according to press sources.