Alabama shooting – update: Six suspects including boy, 15, arrested over Dadeville Sweet 16 party attack
It is unclear how many suspects are being sought in the April 15 ‘Sweet 16’ shooting
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Six suspects have now been arrested over the mass shooting at a “Sweet 16” birthday party that left four people dead and 32 injured in Dadeville, Alabama.
On Thursday, authorities announced that three more suspects were taken into custody including a 15-year-old who has not been named due to his age, Johnny Letron Brown, 20, and Willie George Brown Jr., 19.
The arrests bring the total number of people arrested over the shooting to six after the earlier arrests of Wilson LaMar Hill Jr, 20, and brothers Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16.
All six have been charged with four counts of reckless murder.
The latest arrests come five days after the horror attack at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Saturday night.
High school football star Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18, was one of the four killed in the incident and it has emerged that he died saving the life of his sister Alexis, whose birthday celebration it was.
Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith, 17, Marsiah Collins, 19, and Corbin Holston, 23, were also killed.
No motive has been outlined by the police.
Suspects identified as Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16
The suspects have been named as 17-year-old Ty Reik McCullough and 16-year-old Travis McCullough.
They were taken into custody on Tuesday night.
Both teens have been charged as adults with four counts of reckless murder.
More charges are expected to follow.
The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has more:
Teen brothers arrested in Alabama Sweet 16 mass shooting
Authorities in Dadeville announced the arrest of Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16
Total number of Dadeville injured raised from 28 to 32, ALEA says
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) revealed that the number of people wounded in the attack on Alexis Dowdell’s birthday party was 32 and not 28 as it had previously stated.
The number of lives lost remains at four, it added.
“After conducting a preliminary analysis of the evidence at the scene, as well as reviewing the information that has been received so far, Special Agents are still in the process of gathering information relative to the sequence of events that ultimately led to the shooting,” the agency wrote.
“Special Agents did not recover any high-powered rifle ammunition at the scene; however, they did recover numerous shell casings used in handguns. Investigators are still processing all of the evidence, in conjunction with completing interviews, in an effort to solidify a motive and potential suspects.”
Third arrest announced in Sweet 16 SHOOTING
Authorities say a man, 20, has also been arrested in the shooting.
PICTURED: Wilson LaMar Hill Jr, 20, and Ty Reik McCullough, 17
Phil Dowdell’s mother asked attendees with guns to leave party before shooting unfolded
Taniya Cox, an 18-year-old who was shot twice in her right arm as she fled the party, joined hundreds of residents, told CBS News that Phil and Alexis Dowdell’s mother had ordered anyone with a gun to leave the party just moments before the shooting unfolded.
“The mother said whoever had guns had to get out and they didn’t get out and five minutes later the shooting started,” Ms Cox said.
“I ran in front of a bullet and got shot. I didn’t know what was going on I just saw blood coming out of my arm.”
Authorities said earlier this week that they did not recover any high-powered rifle ammunition at the scene. They did find numerous shell casings used in handguns.
Motive known but not yet released
Sgt Jeremy J Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency indicated that investigators have determined a motive for the shooting, but they are not releasing it at this time.
“We can’t get into a motive right now, because that would be part of an ongoing investigation,” Mr Burkett said. “We can’t share that.”
The official also declined to disclose where the suspects are being held in jail.
Suspects identified as Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16
The suspects have been named as 17-year-old Ty Reik McCullough and 16-year-old Travis McCullough.
They were taken into custody on Tuesday night.
Both teens have been charged as adults with four counts of reckless murder.
More charges are expected to follow.
The Independent’s Andrea Blanco has more:
Teen brothers arrested in Alabama Sweet 16 mass shooting
Authorities in Dadeville announced the arrest of Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16
More charges to come, DA says
Tallapoosa District Attorney Mark Sergist said more charges are expected to come. The suspects will have a bond hearing within the next 72 hours, and the state will suggest no bond.
The shootings Saturday night rocked the small town of Dadeville, about 80 miles southeast of Birmingham, and families suddenly found themselves planning memorials and burial services instead of graduation parties or college move-ins.
The fatal victims were identified on Monday as Keke Nicole Smith, 17, Phil Dowdell, 18, Marsiah Collins, 19 and Corbin Holston, 23.
Four victims remain hospitalised in critical condition as of Wednesday night, Mr Sergist said.
“We are going to make sure every victim gets justice, not just the deceased,” he said during the press conference. “Even though these are 16 and 17-year-olds, we are going to charge them as adults.”
Three charged with ‘reckless murder’ in Dadeville shooting
Two teenagers and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting that killed four young people at a ‘Sweet 16’ party in Dadeville, Alabama.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced that Tuskegee residents Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16 — and Wilson LaMar Hill Jr, 20, of Auburn — have been charged with four counts of reckless murder.
Tallapoosa County district attorney Mike Segrest said the two teens would be tried as adults, an automatic requirement for anyone 16 or older charged with murder in Alabama.
Victim Phil Dowdell died saving sister's life
A high school star, who was among the victims of a mass shooting in Alabama, died while saving his sister's life.
The shooting took place on Saturday night during the 'Sweet 16' birthday party of Phil Dowdell's sister, Alexis, at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio.
Dowdell pushed his sister to the ground as soon as gunfire erupted at around 10.34pm inside the dance studio. "I guess he tried to push me out the door as fast as he could," Alexis told the Associated Press.
Alisha Rahaman Sarkar reports.
Alabama shooting victim Phil Dowdell died saving his sister’s life
The shooting took place at the ‘Sweet 16’ birthday party of Dowdell’s sister, Alexis