State police and local media reported on sunday that at least four people were killed and 28 were wounded in a shooting that occurred at a dance studio in the small town of dadeville alabama during a late night sweet 16 birthday celebration. According to authorities the shooting occurred in east central alabama about 60 miles northeast of montgomery the state capital. Some of the injured were critically injured. There was no official word on what caused the shootings with guns.
Specialists said the shooting began not long after 10:30 p.m. Ct on saturday yet they declined to address questions or give further subtleties during two sunday news meetings. The community was no longer in danger according to officials but they did not specify whether a suspect had been killed or arrested.
We will keep on working in an exceptionally purposeful approach through this scene to take a gander at current realities and guarantee that equity is brought to bear for the families said jeremy burkett a sergeant with the alabama policing. According to the montgomery advertiser newspaper one of the four people killed in the violence was a high school football player who was one of the people present when a gunman opened fire on the sweet 16 birthday party of his sister.
According to the victim grandmother who was quoted in the newspaper phil dowdell was the slain teen. She said that he was scheduled to graduate in a few weeks and planned to attend jacksonville state university on a football scholarship. Reuters was unable to independently verify the information or learn about the other three victims identities.
The party was being held in dadeville a town of about 3,200 people at the mahogany master piece dance studio a converted bank building half a block from the city hall. On sunday yellow crime .scene tape was used to secure the area. Many people group individuals assembled right off the bat sunday night in a parking garage a couple of blocks from the shooting scene for an open air supplication vigil.
WHAT HAS OUR Country COME TO?
Following separate outbreaks of deadly gun violence in tennessee and kentucky which prompted local leaders to call for tighter gun control measures the bloodshed in alabama marked the third high profile mass shooting in the U.S south in as many weeks. According to the montgomery advertiser at least one previous mass shooting occurred in dadeville in august of 2016 when a gunman killed five people at a party at an american legion hall.
When children are unable to attend a birthday party without fear what has our nation become. President Joe Biden said in a proclamation on sunday. Biden called the rising weapon viciousness in the U.S absurd and inadmissible and encouraged the U.S. Congress to pass regulations to make guns producers more at risk for weapon savagery boycott attack weapons and high limit ammo magazines and require safe capacity of guns and historical verifications for fire arm deals. Raymond porter superintendent of tallapoosa county schools stated that on monday counseling would be provided at area schools and requested the assistance of local clergy to families.
Do not lose sight of the fact that those children are the ones who are most impacted by this situation porter stated. We will make every effort to comfort those children. At the national rifle association (NRA) annual conference the nation largest gun lobby republicans vying for the party 2024 presidential nomination and other prominent party members attempted to portray themselves as unwavering supporters of unrestricted gun rights over the weekend in indian.
Five days earlier a bank employee in Louisville kentucky shot and killed five of his coworkers and wounded nine others at his workplace. A former student killed three 9 years old student and three staff members at a private christian school in nashville tennessee on March 27. According to the gun violence archive the number of mass shootings in the United States has increased to more than 163 so far in 2023 the most since at least 2016. A mass shooting according to the non profit organization is one in which four or more people including the shooter are injured or killed.
