Two teenagers and an adult have been charged with murder following the weekend shooting at a 16th birthday party in Alabama that left four dead and 32 injured.
Tuesday night, brothers Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, were arrested. Wilson LaMar Hill, age 20, was taken into custody on Wednesday afternoon. Each suspect is charged with four counts of reckless homicide, according to police. This autumn, the older brother, Ty Reik McCullough, will be a senior on the Booker T. Washington High School football team.
Additional allegations are anticipated in relation to the attack on Saturday night. The three suspects are from Tuskegee, Alabama, which is approximately a 40-minute drive from the crime site in Dadeville, according to the authorities.
The two adolescents will be tried as adults, as is required by state law for anyone 16 or older charged with homicide. Wednesday at a press conference, officials informed sources that the investigation was still in its infancy.
Officials previously stated that they recovered shell casings from handguns at the crime site, but there was no evidence that a high-powered rifle was used. According to police, four of those injured remained hospitalized in critical condition. Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) stated that they will ensure that each and every victim receives justice, not just the deceased.
The agency added that the individuals have been charged as a result of a complex and exhaustive investigation conducted with the assistance of numerous law enforcement agencies. Since the shooting, police had provided few details on any suspects in the case prior to Wednesday.
District Attorney Mike Segrest stated, "I am aware that our community and the media have been frustrated by the lack of information that has been provided thus far."
The deceased victims have been identified as 19-year-old Marsiah Collins, 18-year-old Phil Dowdell, 23-year-old Corbin Holston, and 17-year-old Shaunkivia Smith.
Mr. Dowdell died while attempting to save his sister Alexis, whose 16th birthday party they were celebrating. He was a star player on his high school's American football team and was set to graduate and receive a sports scholarship to Jacksonville State University. One of his school football teammates and acquaintances told the sources that Phil was an incredible friend and that God's got an angel.
Approximately fifty people attended the celebration, which was held at a local dance studio in Dadeville. Dadeville, a hamlet of approximately 3,000 people, is located approximately 60 miles (100 kilometers) north-east of the state capital, Montgomery.
Sergeant Burkett implored those who attended the dance studio party to contact authorities if they have not done so already.
The shooting started about half an hour after someone with a gun was barred from the celebration, mentioned the party DJ Keenan Cooper, who had reported hearing shots from multiple attackers.
More than 160 mass shootings have occurred in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines such incidents as those in which four or more people are shot.
