Alabama shooting – live: Four dead, multiple injured at Dadeville ‘Sweet 16’ party
Four people were killed and at least 16 others were wounded in Dadeville, Alabama, over the weekend after a “Sweet 16” birthday party turned violent.
The party took place Saturday night at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio, witnesses told WRBL. Gunfire erupted at the party around 10:30pm.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed that four people died in the mass shooting, according to AL.com. No further information on their identities or the details of the shooting were provided. No arrests were announced, and no further information on the whereabouts of the shooter were provided.
Numerous families have reportedly gathered to wait outside area hospitals where their loved ones are presumably being treated.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” state governor Kay Ivey tweeted. “Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.”
The incident follows a shooting in a park in Louisville, Kentucky on the same day, in which two people were killed and four injured.
Four dead, at least 16 others injured after mass shooting at Alabama ‘Sweet 16’ party
16:30 , Eleanor Noyce
Four people were killed and at least 16 others were wounded in Dadeville, Alabama, over the weekend after a “Sweet 16” birthday party turned violent.
The party took place Saturday night at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio, witnesses told WRBL.
Gunfire erupted at the party around 10:30pm, injuring more than 20 people. Witnesses told the news broadcaster that most of the more than 20 victims are teens, though that information has not been confirmed by law enforcement.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed that four people died in the mass shooting, according to AL.com. No further information on their identities or the details of the shooting were provided. No arrests were announced, and no further information on the whereabouts of the shooter were provided.
Numerous families have reportedly gathered to wait outside area hospitals where their loved ones are presumably being treated.
Four dead, at least 16 injured after mass shooting at Alabama ‘Sweet 16’ party
Pictured: The aftermath of the Dadeville, Alabama shooting
18:37 , Eleanor Noyce
FBI responded to Dadeville shooting - Reuters
18:15 , Eleanor Noyce
The FBI, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the Fifth Circuit District Attorney’s Office had also responded to the scene in Dadeville and were assisting with the investigation, according to a release from the state law enforcement agency.
“We’re going to continue to work in a very methodical way to go through this scene, to look at the facts, and ensure that justice is brought to bear for the families,” said Jeremy Burkett, a sergeant with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, at the press conference.
Biden briefed following Dadeville shooting, White House confirms
18:00 , Eleanor Noyce
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama, according to AP News.
The White House confirmed that it is closely monitoring the situation, adding that it has been in touch with law enforcement in Dadeville to provide support.
How many mass shootings have there been in the US so far in 2023?
17:49 , Eleanor Noyce
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered at least 146 mass shootings so far in 2023, the highest number at this point in the year since at least 2016.
The archive defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.
At 9am on Saturday - the same day as the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama - two people were killed and another four wounded in Louisville, Kentucky. Officers responded to reports of a shooting in Chickasaw Park, where two individuals were pronounced dead at the scene.
Police do not yet know who opened fire at the park, and no suspects have been named at this time.
Just days prior, a mass shooting took place at Louisville’s Old National Bank, where a gunman killed five people and wounded nine others. The bank is approximately five miles from Chickasaw Park.
‘Keep our community in your prayers’, says Dadeville police chief
17:17 , Eleanor Noyce
“The city of Dadeville is a tight-knit community, full of wonderful people. I ask you to please keep our community in your prayers. I ask you to please keep my police department in your prayers,” police chief Jonathan Floyd stated at a press conference following the shooting.
Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Raymond Porter also confirmed that grief counsellors will be visiting schools across Dadeville on Monday, ABC News reports. However, he did not confirm whether any students had been killed or injured in the attack.
“I’m also asking that you please do not let this moment define what you think of the city of Dadeville,” Chief Floyd added. “What we’re dealing with is something no community should have to endure.”
Mapped: Dadeville, Alabama
17:10 , Eleanor Noyce
Dadeville is a small, rural city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Around 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, it has a population of just over 3,200.
Locals consider Dadeville to be the “Heart of Lake Martin”, a man-made lake with a hydroelectric dam completed in 1929.
Dance studio had been preparing to celebrate its two-year anniversary on 29 April
16:57 , Eleanor Noyce
The shooting took place at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Saturday evening, witnesses told WRBL. Gunfire erupted at the party at approximately 10:30pm.
According to the studio’s Facebook page, it had been preparing to celebrate its two-year anniversary on 29 April with a Michael Jackson-themed showcase of pop, rock and soul.
“This show will be filled with lots of sass, flare, and a guaranteed ROCKIN’ good time!”, one post wrote.
Dadeville community doing ‘our best to cope with it’, says mayor
16:50 , Eleanor Noyce
Dadeville’s mayor, Jimmy Goodman, said that the residents were “in shock” and that they were “doing our best to cope with it.”
“We’re just trying to make do,” he told ABC News.
The mass shooting is the latest in a violent spring across the US South. In late March, a woman shot and killed six people at a private school in Nashville, including three 9-year-old children. A few weeks later a mass shooter in Louisville, Kentucky, killed six people and injured nine others at his workplace.
First Baptist Church pastor spends night with victims’ families
16:40 , Eleanor Noyce
Ben Haynes, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dadeville, said he spent the night with the families of the victims, according to ABC News.
Family members of the victims reportedly told Mr Haynes that an argument inside the party sparked the shooting, and that there were more than 50 people at the party when the violence broke out.
The situation is under active investigation by the ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigations, the Dadeville Police Department, and the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office.
“Violent crime has no place in our state”, says state governor
16:34 , Eleanor Noyce
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” Alabama state governor Kay Ivey tweeted following the incident.
“Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.”
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.
— Governor Kay Ivey (@GovernorKayIvey) April 16, 2023
16:28 , Eleanor Noyce
Good afternoon, and welcome to The Independent’s live blog on the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama. Follow as we provide live updates.
