Police tape is seen outside the scene of a shooting in Dadeville, Ala., that left at least four people dead and many others injured.
Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio
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Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio
At least four people were killed and many others injured after a shooting at a birthday party Saturday night in Dadeville, Ala.
The attack happened at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio shortly after 10:30 p.m. local time as people gathered to celebrate Sweet 16. Heidi Smith, marketing manager for Ivy Creek Healthcare, runs a hospital in Dadeville , said the hospital had treated at least 15 bullet victims.
Smith said at least 17 ambulances were on the scene. Some of the victims were treated and discharged at Lake Martin Community Hospital, while others were transferred to other hospitals – including to a trauma center in Birmingham, she said. said more.
According to a statement from Alabama Law Enforcement, the agency said it has opened an investigation at the request of the Dadeville police chief.
As of Sunday morning, authorities had not provided any details on the motive or the number of suspects involved.
Annette Allen said it was her niece’s 16th birthday party where the attack happened. Allen’s grandson, a high school athlete, was killed by a bullet, while her daughter was injured and taken to an area hospital.
“This is a small community and they just want to enjoy the birthday party,” Allen told NPR member Troy Public Radio. “We have to wait for the body to be brought out.”
Dadeville is a small city with a population of about 3,000. It is located about an hour’s drive from the state capital Montgomery.
During a news conference Sunday morning, Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan Floyd described the town as a “tight community full of great people.”
Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Raymond Porter said counselors will be at various sites tomorrow to support students – adding that children will be hardest hit from recent tragedy.
“This is not representative of our community or our children,” added Porter.
Authorities have not released details about the victims or their ages. But the shooting at the sweet 16th birthday party happened when guns became top assassin of children in the United States In 2020, gun violence overtook auto accidents as the leading cause of death among people 19 years of age and younger.
There have been 163 mass shootings in the US this year, not including the Dadeville attack, according to independent group Gun Violence Archive. The group defines a mass shooting as any event in which there are four or more victims, excluding the shooter. Saturday’s attack came less than a week after a gunman opened fire on a bank in Louisville, Ky. killed five people and wounded nine others.
President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, according to the White House, which said Biden and his team have reached out to local authorities for assistance and are monitoring the situation closely.
Governor Kay Ivey tweeted on Sunday morning that she was grieving the events in Dadeville, but did not provide further details on what happened.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamans. Violent crime has NO place in our state and we are being closely updated by law enforcement as it becomes available. details,” Ivey said.
NPR’s Amy Held contributed reporting.
