AL - Mass shooting at teen’s birthday party, 20 + shot, 4 + dead, Dadeville, 14 Apr 2023

[imstilla.grandma]

DADEVILLE, ALABAMA — Multiple children were killed and many others were injured after a shooting at a teenager’s birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, Saturday evening.

Dadeville Police, the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, and Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation, among others, responded to a building near the intersection of East Green Street and North Broadnax Street at around 10:30 p.m. on reports of a shooting, Fox News and WRBL reported.

Although law enforcement agents have not officially released the number of people killed or injured in the incident, photos taken by witnesses at the scene showed “the bodies of at least six teenagers on the ground,” according to Fox News. The witness observed white sheets covering their bodies.

The shooting also injured others with officers and deputies at the scene reporting at least 20 people wounded, WRBL stated. The injured victims were transported to a local hospital for further care.

During a preliminary investigation, the detectives suspected that an altercation led to the shooting at a teenager’s birthday party, WRBL said.

At least 20 injured, multiple dead from shooting at Alabama Sweet-16 birthday party, reports say

During a preliminary investigation, the detectives suspected that an altercation led to the shooting at a teenager’s birthday party.

www.whio.com

Teenagers gathered at the studio Saturday night to celebrate a birthday. Gunfire erupted just after 10:30 p.m.

For more than eight hours after the incident, law enforcement released no details about the shooting, the victims or the suspect. Dadeville was trending on social media, where an image that showed six people collapsed inside a venue circulated amid pleas from some users to take down the image.

Still other users on social media recorded video at a nearby hospital where families waiting for news on injured loved ones.

Ashley Hill lives in Opelika, but she traveled to downtown Dadeville with two other women after hearing about the shootings to find out whether a friend of the family was safe. “Babies — very devastating,” she said of the teens that had gathered for a birthday party, shaking her head.

Hill said the small town of Dadeville doesn't have the violence of big cities. Dadeville, the county seat of Tallapoosa County in East Central Alabama, has a population of just more than 3,000 people.

At least four dead in mass shooting at teen's birthday party in Dadeville

Gunfire erupted just after 10:30 p.m. At least four people are confirmed dead. This is a breaking story and will be updated.

www.montgomeryadvertiser.com

*A Sweet Sixteen party. I’m devastated for this community. Imagine all the heartbreak this morning. Took place at a dance studio. This is horrible. Most if not all are injured or deceased teenagers. My granddaughter just turned 16. I’m sad. Awaiting a press conference today…

 

[imstilla.grandma]

The Alex City Outlook reports the shooting happened on N. Broadnax Street at Mahogany’s Masterpiece.

First Baptist Church of Dadeville has called a community prayer vigil for 5 p.m. Sunday, with its pastor writing in a post shared by the church that he “stood outside of Lake Martin Hospital until 3 a.m. watching hearts break as families learned that their child had been shot -- or even worse, dead.”

Reports: Multiple people shot in Dadeville, Alabama

Multiple people have been injured in a Saturday night shooting in Dadeville, according to reports from CNN.

www.wsfa.com

 

[Midge Montana]

Oh, no.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

I’m so nervous of impending reports. The details must be outrageously horrific. So many young teens. I don’t understand. This is the third shooting I’ve heard about this morning. What is happening in America? This is a small community of teenagers. Omg, the tears of these children and parents. I can almost hear their screams…

 

[Leve]

Be warned. The picture they say is posted online is not showing bodies covered with white sheets as reported.

 

[DS2021]

They are now saying 4 dead

4 people killed, 32 hurt in mass shooting at Alabama birthday party

Multiple people were killed and injured when a shooting broke out late Saturday at a crowded birthday party in a small rural Alabama town, authorities said.

abcnews.go.com

Others are saying at least 4 dead. I'm not sure what's going on

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/16/1170295326/at-least-4-people-were-killed-in-a-shooting-at-teens-birthday-party-in-alabama

 

[everybodhi]

9 a.m. - Grandmother shares the death of her grandson​

Phil Dowdell was a senior in high school due to graduate in mere weeks. He was going to Jacksonville State on a football scholarship.

On Saturday night Dowdell was celebrating his sister Alexis' sweet 16 birthday party before it was interrupted by gunfire that claimed his life.

“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face," his grandmother Annette Allen said.

Allen called that grin "a million-dollar smile."

At the party, multiple teens were shot as well as Dowdell's mother, who sustained two gunshot wounds.

Allen said a lot of parents do not know where their children are. They are going from hospital to hospital trying to find them.

BREAKING: At least four dead in mass shooting at teen's birthday party in Dadeville

 

[Leilei]

We literally had a shooting at a sweet sixteen party a few weeks ago - two kids killed, many injured. This is so incredibly sad... it's like our young people aren't safe to do young people things anymore.

 

[BeginnerSleuther]

This is outrageous. The shooting itself is outrageous, but also, so many questions here. Why was nothing disclosed by law enforcement for EIGHT hours according to the report someone linked above? Why are parents going from hospital to hospital to find their kids??? What is happening?

 

[Leve]

This is outrageous. The shooting itself is outrageous, but also, so many questions here. Why was nothing disclosed by law enforcement for EIGHT hours according to the report someone linked above? Why are parents going from hospital to hospital to find their kids??? What is happening?

I so agree with this. Maybe they don't want to tip off the shooter? But still, they need to release more info. It's strange.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

Dadeville, Alabama, mass shooting news conference

Officials have called a news conference to discuss an overnight mass shooting in Dadeville, located in Tallapoosa County, Alabama.

www.youtube.com

Heidi Smith, the marketing director of Ivy Creek Healthcare, which runs a hospital in Dadeville, said the hospital treated at least 15 gunshot victims.

Smith said at least 17 ambulances responded to the scene. Some victims were treated and released from the Lake Martin Community Hospital, while several additional victims were transferred to other hospitals — including flown to a trauma center in Birmingham, she added.

https://www.npr.org/2023/04/16/1170295326/at-least-4-people-were-killed-in-a-shooting-at-teens-birthday-party-in-alabama

 

[vls12345]

https://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-65293916

 

[vls12345]

Dadeville football player bound for Jacksonville State killed at sister’s birthday party, pastor says

Phil Dowdle was killed at a birthday party for Dowdle’s sister, according to Pastor Ben Hayes.

www.al.com

 

[MrsWatson]

https://us.cnn.com/2023/04/16/us/dadeville-alabama-mass-shooting/index.html

 

[LaborDayRN]

https://us.cnn.com/2023/04/16/us/dadeville-alabama-mass-shooting/index.html

From your link.....
The US has suffered at least 162 mass shootings in the first 15 weeks of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. That’s an average of more than 1.5 mass shootings every day so far this year.

The archive defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.

 

[mickey2942]

So glad I grew up at a time when we had to be on the porch when the fireflies were out. Mama would let us have sweet tea and popcorn for anyone hanging out on the porch with us. No one was rich, we all wore hand me downs, flip flops and cut off jeans. Our lives were simple then. I wonder why things have changed so much since...

 

[LaborDayRN]

So glad I grew up at a time when we had to be on the porch when the fireflies were out. Mama would let us have sweet tea and popcorn for anyone hanging out on the porch with us. No one was rich, we all wore hand me downs, flip flops and cut off jeans. Our lives were simple then. I wonder why things have changed so much since...

I had to be inside when the street lights came on. Not that it has anything to do with mass shootings it's just that to me those were the good ol days........... MOO
I had never even heard the term "mass shooting". Now it seems I hear it daily....

 

[Sillybilly]

No word on the perp? In custody, suspect down, on the loose ??

 

[LaborDayRN]

This is outrageous. The shooting itself is outrageous, but also, so many questions here. Why was nothing disclosed by law enforcement for EIGHT hours according to the report someone linked above? Why are parents going from hospital to hospital to find their kids??? What is happening?

To be fair, the fact that some of these kids might have been brought in unconscious or deceased may have contributed to the lack of notification. Hospital staff may not have been able to identify all of the wounded and deseased. For example, young women normally carry their I.D. in their purse and I imagine those were left at the scene.
Posted upthread: Dadeville is a town of 3000 people. I'm guessing the police department is very small.

 

[imstilla.grandma]

No word on the perp? In custody, suspect down, on the loose ??

No, there’s not. LE is spooky quiet. What could this mean? Plenty of people had to see the suspect. Could he/she have gotten away? Or maybe in custody on a need to know basis?

*I had to edit the he into he/she. I don’t know why my mind went to a male. I’ll have to think on that. Am I biased in some kind of way?