At least four people were killed and at least 15 teenagers were injured in a shooting at a birthday party Saturday night in an Alabama city, officials said.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett, a spokesperson for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said at a news conference Sunday that the shooting in Dadeville took place around 10:34 p.m.
“This is going to be a long, complicated process,” said Burkett, who did not provide information about who opened fire or why. Officials did not take questions at the news conference.
The shooting took place at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. Dadeville is about 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, and about 3,000 people live there.
The studio hosted Zumba and line dancing classes for children and teenagers and had been rehearsing for a dance showcase celebrating its second anniversary April 29, according to its Facebook page. A representative of the studio could not be immediately reached Sunday.
After ambulances overwhelmed the community on Saturday night, residents on Sunday morning grappled with the shooting, which took place at a 16th birthday party, said Ben Hayes, the senior pastor at Dadeville First Baptist Church.
Philstavious Dowdell, a Dadeville High School football player who was known as Phil and who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was one of those killed, the pastor said.
Hayes is also the chaplain of the city’s Police Department and the chaplain of the high school football team. “Everybody knows everybody, so this has been pretty tough,” he said.
At least 15 teenagers were treated for gunshot wounds, said Heidi Smith, a spokesperson for Lake Martin Community Hospital in Dadeville.
She said that nine of the teenagers were transferred to a different hospital to receive a higher level of care and that five of those nine were in critical condition. There were 17 ambulances on the scene after the shooting, Smith said.
Officials did not specify the ages 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 Monday. “We will make every effort to comfort those children,” Porter said.
President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting, and he and his staff have been in contact with local law enforcement and local officials to offer support, White House officials said.