Alabama shooting victims: What we know about the victims of the Dadeville shooting
A Sweet 16 birthday party for a girl at a dance studio in Alabama turned into a mass shooting, leaving four dead and at least 28 injured.
Gunfire erupted at roughly 10.34pm local time on Saturday at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in downtown Dadeville, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said on Sunday.
The police had not provided any updates on the number of fatalities or those injured for more than 10 hours after the shooting. An update at around 9am, however, revealed there were deaths.
“There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been a multitude of injuries,” said Sgt Jeremy J Burkett.
The victims of the shooting are believed to be teenagers. Police are yet to provide further details, including the names of those who were killed or if the suspect shooter was in custody and the motive of the attack.
The four victims were identified on Monday by the Tallapoosa County Coroner’s Office. Here is what we know about them.
Marsiah Collins
Martin Collins identified his son Marsiah, 19, as one of the fatal victims.
Marsiah graduated from Opelika High School in 2022 and was taking a gap year to focus on his music.
He was planning to move in with his father to Baton Rouge in the fall so he could attend Louisiana State University, AL.com reported.
“I don’t know what to say about this situation,” Mr Collins told AL.com “He messaged me on April 5 telling me he was ready to leave.”
Mr Collins said he found out about the devastating news on Sunday morning. He described Marsiah as a great big brother to his sister.
The grieving father also addressed speculation online about his son.
“Everything I’ve done in my life was to show my son it can be done, and to give him a positive role model to follow,” Mr Collins told AL.com.
“There’s been some crap on Twitter trying to make my son look like a thug, because he was making a music video with a gun that wasn’t even real. They’re trying to make this narrative that he was a thug and was responsible for his own death. He didn’t know anything about no street life.”
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell
An honours student at Dadeville High School, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, was identified as one of the victims of the shooting by family members.
He was celebrating his sister’s birthday before he was shot dead, his grandmother Annette Allen told the Montgomery Advertiser newspaper.
The high school senior was a stellar football player and had committed to Jacksonville State University.
The Jacksonville State Football team issued a statement mourning the loss of the would-be member of their programme.
“Our Thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of the senseless tragedy last night,” tweeted Rich Rodriguez, the head coach of the team.
“He was a great young man with a bright future. My staff and I are heartbroken and hope that everyone will support his family through this difficult time.”
Ms Allen described him as a “very humble child” who always had a smile on his face.
“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” Ms Allen told the newspaper, calling it “a million-dollar smile”.
“Everybody’s grieving.”
Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as the team chaplain for the local high school football team, said he was weeks away from graduation and had a bright future.
“He was a strong competitor on the field,” Mr Hayes said. “You didn’t want to try to tackle him or get tackled by him. But when he came off the field, he was one of the nicest young men that you could ever meet, very respectful and well-respected by his peers.”
KeKe Nicole Smith
KeKe Nicole Smith, 18, was identified as another victim of the shooting by her cousin.
She was a volleyball player and team manager for the Dadeville High School track team, Michael Taylor, a coach at Dadeville High School told The New York Times.
Amy Jackson, her cousin, confirmed her death on Facebook in the Dadeville shooting,
“My heart is scattered,” she wrote. “My lil cousin Ke… Please give our family respect during this time of bereavement Give us strength and understanding Mighty God. Praying for all loved ones that have lost their life or were injured.”
“We love you Ke… it was a mass shooting in my hometown Dadeville Al… they took her from us,” she said.
On Sunday, hospital officials said 15 teenagers – among the 28 injured – were given treatment for gunshot wounds. Several of them remained in critical condition at Dadeville’s Lake Martin Community Hospital.
Six of the teenagers were discharged from the hospital after receiving treatment.
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posted by business enews @ April 18, 2023
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