Dadeville shooting: At least 89 rounds fired at Alabama Sweet 16 party
Rachel Schilke
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Law enforcement officers determined that close to 90 rounds were fired at a Sweet 16 birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, that left four people dead and several others injured.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency special agent Jess Thornton said during a court hearing on Tuesday at least 89 rounds were fired and that a gun appeared to have been placed on the chest of one of the victims.
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Five of the six suspects in the April 15 mass shooting appeared in court on Tuesday for their first appearance. The five suspects are Johnny Letron Brown, 20; Willie George Brown Jr., 19; Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20; Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17; and Travis McCullough, 16. The sixth suspect, 15, has not been identified due to his age.
Seven guns of four different calibers were used in the shooting that claimed the lives of Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19; Phil Dowdell, 18; Corbin Holston, 23; and Shaunkivia “Keke” Smith, 17. Police discovered 89 shell casings on the floor of the dance studio where the party was being held for Dowdell’s sister, Alexis.
“I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude,” Thornton said at the hearing, via reports from within the courtroom.
When officers arrived at the scene, Thornton said a gun was placed on top of Holston’s chest. Police are not speculating on a motive at this time, so far declining to announce publicly what they believe led to the shooting.
Officers also determined some of the casings found at the Dadeville shooting matched those found at a shooting later that night in Auburn, where Brown Jr. and Hill Jr. are from. Thornton did not elaborate on whether there is a connection between the two shootings.
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Tuesday’s hearing was set for a judge to determine whether to allow bail for Brown, Brown Jr., and Hill Jr. The McCullough brothers had a closed-door bail hearing later on Tuesday. The judge did not immediately rule on bail for the five defendants.
There have been at least 16 mass shootings since the beginning of April in the United States and 172 total mass shootings since the start of 2023, according to data from the Gun Violence Archive.