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Police identify victims, seek shooter

April 18, 2023

DADEVILLE, Ala. – Investigators on Monday were urgently seeking details from anyone who knew what led to a deadly weekend shooting that turned a Sweet 16 party into a scene of horror.

Four people were killed and 32 were injured, some critically, at a girl’s birthday celebration, authorities said. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed Monday night that the total number of injuries had increased to 32 individuals after previously reporting that 28 had been injured. Two Dadeville High School seniors were among those killed.

“We’ve got to have information from the community,” Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said at one of two news conferences held Sunday in Dadeville, a town of 3,200 people about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery. Burkett has not said whether a suspect is in custody, but he urged witnesses to come forward.

Investigators found numerous shell casings used in handguns but no high-powered rifle ammunition at the scene, according to a release Monday night from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Saturday night’s rampage marks the 160th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2023, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.

Here’s what we know:

What happened in the Alabama shooting?

The shooting began shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, the site of the former Bank of Dadeville, investigators said.

The party’s DJ, Keenan Cooper, told WBMA-TV that attendees heard someone had a gun, and the party briefly stopped.

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Though anyone with guns was asked to leave, no one left, he said. The gunfire erupted some time later, Cooper recalled, sending people scattering for shelter under tables or to safety outside.

Authorities had not released information about what led to the shooting as of Monday.

Who were the victims at Alabama birthday party shooting?

Tallapoosa County coroner Mike Knox on Monday identified the four shooting victims as:

Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, of Opelika, Alabama
Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, of Dadeville, Alabama
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill, Alabama
Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17, of Dadeville, Alabama

Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ party when he was shot and killed, his grandmother, Annette Allen, told the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network.

She described her grandson as a humble child who always had a “million-dollar smile.”

Dowdell’s mother was among those hurt in the shooting, she said.

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Taniya Cox, a gunshot victim who knew those who were killed, attended a Sunday afternoon vigil held at First Baptist Church in Dadeville wearing her hospital gown and a cast on the right arm where she’d been shot twice.

Cox said the shooting began about five minutes after Dowdell’s mother told people with guns to exit the building.

“I ran in front of a bullet and got shot,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just saw blood coming out of my arm.”

Who was the Alabama birthday party shooter?

Several questions remained unanswered Monday by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the identity of the shooter and a possible motive.

Authorities said Sunday that the public no longer faced a threat.

Grief counselors available at schools Monday

As students returned to Tallapoosa County schools Monday, counselors were on hand to help anyone coping with the shooting’s aftermath, school district superintendent Raymond C. Porter said.

Heidi Smith, spokesperson for Dadeville’s Lake Martin Community Hospital – where 15 gunshot victims were taken – said her hospital and others would provide at least some of those counselors.

“It’s going to be a tough time for graduation and for these kids, and we will be here for them and their families for the duration,” Smith said.

Dadeville High School’s graduation is scheduled for May 25, according to the school’s website.

‘There’s not a playbook for something like this,’ coach says

At Dadeville, which had 485 students from grades 6-12 enrolled last year, head football coach Roger McDonald said he would try his best to support grieving students.

“There’s not a playbook for something like this,” he said. “The best you (can) do is just love on your kids, let them all know how much you care about them, be there for them.”

Assistant coach Michael Taylor, who first met victim Dowdell when he was 9, was there as the teen’s body was carried out of the dance studio.

“We’ve got to pray our way out of this,” Taylor said. “There ain’t no other way.”

Smith, the other student killed, was also a senior at Dadeville High and a manager for the basketball and track teams.

Collins played football and graduated from Opelika High School in 2022, his father, Martin Collins, told AL.com. The aspiring rapper planned to attend Louisiana State University.

Holston graduated from Dadeville High in 2018 and, according to his social media accounts, was living in Birmingham before his death.

What are Alabama’s gun laws?

After a new law took effect in January, anyone 18 or over may carry a handgun in the state without a permit, background check or safety training in Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law that repealed the concealed carry permit requirement in March 2022.

Alabama ranked as the state with the fifth-highest rate of gun-related deaths, behind Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming and Missouri, according to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.