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Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, an honours student on his way to play Division 1 college football, was among the victims of a mass shooting at a party in Alabama on Saturday that left four dead and 28 injured.
“It was a very sad, sad scene,” Ben Hayes, senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church and team chaplain of Dadeville High School, where Dowdell played multiple sports, told AL.com. “A very rough night.”
The party where the shooting took place was reportedly a birthday celebration for Dowdell’s sister at a dance studio in downtown Dadeville.
The teen, one of the best football players in the state, had recently committed to playing at Jacksonville State University. He was also an accomplished track runner and basketball player.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of the senseless tragedy last night,” Jacksonville head football coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has not yet announced any arrests.
Student bound for Division 1 football career among victims of Alabama party shooting
“It was a very sad, sad scene,” Ben Hayes, senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church and team chaplain of Dadeville High School, where Dowdell played multiple sports, told AL.com. “A very rough night.”
The party where the shooting took place was reportedly a birthday celebration for Dowdell’s sister, according to the website.
The teen, one of the best football players in the state, had recently committed to playing at Jacksonville State University. He was also an accomplished track runner and basketball player.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of the senseless tragedy last night,” Jacksonville head football coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement. “He was a great young man with a bright future. My staff and I are heartbroken and hope that everyone will support his family through this difficult time.”
My colleague Josh Marcus has the full story:
Injury toll rises to 28 in Alabama shooting
At least 28 people were injured in Saturday’s shooting, according to officials, about twice the previously known figure, USA Today reports.
Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesperson Sgt Jeremy Burkett said the victims suffered a “wide variety of injuries.”
Volleyball player, 18, identified as second victim
KeKe Nicole Smith, an 18-year-old volleyball player and team manager for the Dadeville High School track team, was also killed in the shooting, according to her family.
Amy Jackson, the cousin of Smith, confirmed her death. “My heart is scattered,” Ms Jackson wrote on Facebook.
Authorities, however, are yet to officially confirm the identities of the victims.
The superintendent of the Tallapoosa County Board of Education, Raymond Porter, said at the news conference that schools would provide counseling to students today.
“We will make every effort to comfort those children.”
Dadeville holds vigil for victims of shooting
Community members in Dadeville yesterday participated in a vigil to remember the four people killed and 28 others injured in a mass shooting at a teen’s birthday.
“Philstavious Dowdell is my best friend,” a Dadeville High student told WVTM. “I’m just devastated by what happened.”
Dadeville High teacher and coach Mardracus Russell said his sister is a nurse with the East Alabama Medical Center.
“And she called me and told me that she thinks that a young man that I had posted on my Facebook from when we went to a Detroit University meet on Friday, she thinks that he had been killed. And it was just a devastating moment.”
Mourners attend a vigil at the First Baptist Church of Dadeville
Guns are the leading killer of children in America, says Biden
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting, the White House said, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and has been in touch with local officials.
“What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear? When parents have to worry every time their kids walk out the door to school, to the movie theater, or to the park?” president Biden said in a statement yesterday.
“Guns are the leading killer of children in America, and the numbers are rising - not declining. This is outrageous and unacceptable.”
The president called on Congress to “require safe storage of firearms, require background checks for all gun sales, eliminate gun manufacturers’ immunity from liability, and ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines.”
‘It was chaotic’, says Dadeville Mayor Frank Goodman of mass shooting
Dadeville Mayor Frank Goodman said he was in bed asleep when a council member called him just before 23:00 on Saturday, The Associated Press reports. He said he went to Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville, where some of the people who had been shot were taken. “It was chaotic,” Goodman said. “There were people running around. They were crying and screaming. There were police cars everywhere, there were ambulances everywhere. People were trying to find out about their loved ones. That was a scene, where we never had anything like this happen in our city before.”
More than 12 hours after the mass shooting, investigators were continuing to work the scene at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, where a bullet hole could be seen pierced through one of the exterior windows.
Less than a block away, the American and Alabama flags were lowered to half-mast outside the Tallapoosa County Courthouse.
A bullet hole is visible above a door at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio after a shooting in Dadeville, Alabama
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell ‘always had a smile on his face’, grandmother says
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis’ party before he was shot to death, his grandmother Annette Allen told The Montgomery Advertiser. “He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” Ms Allen told the newspaper, calling it “a million-dollar smile.”
Dowdell’s mother was among those hurt in the shooting, The Associated Press reports.
“Everybody’s grieving,” Allen said.
Alabama has ‘weak’ gun laws
Police have not yet described how the individual responsible for the Alabama shooting got their hands on a weapon.
So-called “permitless carry” laws are spreading across the US.
Alex Woodward has the details.
‘This is also a very fluid situation’, Sergeant Burkett tells news conference
“Four lives were lost in the tragic event that occurred here in Dadeville. As far as the injuries, there are 28 individuals that were injured during the course of the incident”, Sergeant Burkett told a news conference on Sunday evening.
“Now, some of those injuries are critical.
“This is also a very fluid situation. We have been getting continuous updates throughout the day. We are absolutely trying to confirm and understand everyone that was in the venue.”
Officials urge public to come forward with information, with reward offered
Law enforcement officials are urging the public to come forward with information following a mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama on Saturday night.
In a news conference held on Sunday evening, Sergeant Burkett confirmed that Central Alabama Crimestoppers has offered a reward for information.
https://news.google.com/rss/articles/CBMie2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3LmluZGVwZW5kZW50LmNvLnVrL25ld3Mvd29ybGQvYW1lcmljYXMvY3JpbWUvYWxhYmFtYS1tYXNzLXNob290aW5nLWRhZGV2aWxsZS1iaXJ0aGRheS1wYXJ0eS1sYXRlc3QtYjIzMjA5MjMuaHRtbNIBAA?oc=5
2023-04-17 04:30:57Z
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