Global Courant 2023-04-20 23:23:56
Mourners attend a vigil at Dadeville’s First Baptist Church
A fourth man has been arrested after the deadly shooting at a 16th birthday party in Alabama last Saturday that left four dead and 32 injured.
Johnny Letron Brown, 20, was arrested Thursday and formally charged with four counts of reckless murder.
Brothers Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, were arrested Tuesday night. Wilson LaMar Hill, 20, was held Wednesday afternoon.
Police have not yet released a possible motive for the shooting.
At least four people between the ages of 17 and 23 died at the birthday party in the small town of Dadeville. About 50 people attended the celebration, which was held at a local dance studio.
The suspects are each charged with four counts of reckless homicide, police said.
Officials said the four suspects are from Tuskegee, Alabama, about a 40-minute drive from the Dadeville crime scene.
Johnny Letron Brown, 20, was arrested Thursday in connection with the shooting at a 16th birthday party
The two teens will be tried as adults, an automatic requirement for anyone 16 or older charged with murder in the state.
At a news conference on Wednesday, officials told reporters that the investigation is still in its early stages.
District Attorney Mike Segrest said, “I know there has been some frustration among our community and the media about a lack of information that has been provided to date.”
Officials previously said they recovered shell casings used in handguns at the crime scene, noting there was no evidence that a high-powered rifle had been used.
Police said on Wednesday that four of those injured are in critical condition in hospital.
“We’re going to make sure each of those victims gets justice and not just the deceased,” said Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) Sergeant Jeremy Burkett.
The agency added: “These individuals have been charged following a complex and thorough investigation conducted with the assistance of a variety of law enforcement agencies.”
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Wilson LaMar Hill, 20, was arrested Wednesday afternoon
The deceased victims have been identified as Marsiah Collins, 19; Phil Dowdel, 18; Corbin Holston, 23; and Shaunkivia Smith, 17.
According to his family, Mr. Dowdell died trying to save his sister Alexis. He was a star athlete on his high school football team and would graduate to attend Jacksonville State University on an athletic scholarship.
One of his friends and school football teammate told the BBC: “Phil was a great friend to me. God has an angel.”
Dadeville, a town of about 3,000 people, is located about 60 miles northeast of the state capital of Montgomery.
Sergeant Burkett urged those who were at the dance studio party to contact authorities if they have not already done so.
“We need you to come forward for these families, for these victims,” he said.
The weekend attack took the US to a grim milestone of more than 160 mass shootings this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines events as those in which four or more people are shot.
