DADEVILLE, Ala. — A highschool senior who deliberate to play school soccer was celebrating at his sister’s sixteenth party Saturday evening in Alabama when gunfire killed him and three different folks and wounded a number of others.
Police have been gathering proof Sunday at a dance studio the place the get together was held in downtown Dadeville. They didn’t instantly say if a suspect was in custody, or in the event that they knew extra about any motivation.
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had dedicated to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ get together earlier than he was shot to dying, his grandmother Annette Allen informed The Montgomery Advertiser.
“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” Allen informed the newspaper, calling it “a million-dollar smile.”
Dowdell’s mom was amongst these damage within the taking pictures.
“Everybody’s grieving,” Allen mentioned.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency mentioned the taking pictures occurred about 10:30 p.m. Saturday.
“There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been a multitude of injuries,” Burkett mentioned throughout a information convention Sunday.
The shootings rocked town of three,200 residents, which is about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama.
Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan L. Floyd paused to regain his composure earlier than talking on the information convention.
“What we’ve dealt with is something that no community should have to endure. I just ask for your patience. It’s going to be a long process, but I do earnestly solicit your prayers,” Floyd mentioned.
Dadeville’s compact downtown is centered round a courthouse sq. with one- and two-story brick buildings. The city’s busiest industrial district is just a few blocks north of the sq., off a bustling four-lane freeway that runs between Birmingham and Auburn. Dadeville is near Lake Martin, a well-liked leisure space.
More than 12 hours after the taking pictures, investigators continued submitting out and in of the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, denoted by a banner hanging on the skin of a one-story brick constructing simply off the sq.. Less than a block away, the American and Alabama flags have been lowered to half employees outdoors the Tallapoosa County Courthouse.
Dadeville Mayor Frank Goodman mentioned he was in mattress asleep when a council member known as him simply earlier than 11 p.m. Saturday. He mentioned he went to Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville, the place a few of the individuals who had been shot have been taken.
“It was chaotic,” Goodman mentioned. “There were people running around. They were crying and screaming. There were police cars everywhere, there were ambulances everywhere. People were trying to find out about their loved ones. That was a scene, where we never had anything like this happen in our city before.”
Counseling can be obtainable for college kids at Tallapoosa County colleges Monday, mentioned the college district superintendent, Raymond C. Porter.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey mentioned in an announcement on social media.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the taking pictures, the White House mentioned, including that it’s carefully monitoring the state of affairs and has been in contact with native officers and regulation enforcement to supply help.
“What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park?” Biden mentioned in an announcement Sunday. “Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising – not declining. This is outrageous and unacceptable.”
Biden known as on Congress to “require safe storage of firearms, require background checks for all gun sales, eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”