Alabama shooting latest news: Four dead, multiple injured at Sweet 16 in Dadeville, AL

Four people were killed and at least 16 others injured over the weekend in Dadeville, Alabama, after a “Sweet 16” birthday party turned violent.

The party took place at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Saturday night, witnesses told WRBL.

Gunfire erupted at the party around 10:30 p.m., injuring more than 20 people. Witnesses told the news channel that most of the more than 20 victims were teenagers, although this information has not been confirmed by law enforcement.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed four people were killed in the mass shooting, according to AL.com. No other information was provided as to her identity or the details of the shooting. No arrests were announced, and no other information was given about the gunman’s whereabouts.

Scores of families have reportedly gathered to wait outside hospitals where their loved ones are believed to be being treated.

The FBI, the US Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Fifth Circuit District Attorney’s Office had also responded to the Dadeville scene and are assisting the investigation, according to a press release from the state law enforcement agency.

“We will continue to work very methodically to go through this scene, investigate the facts and ensure that justice is done for the families,” Jeremy Burkett, a sergeant with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, said at the news conference.

President Joe Biden was briefed on the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama AP News.

The White House confirmed it was closely monitoring the situation, adding that it had been in contact with law enforcement in Dadeville to provide assistance.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, the US has suffered at least 146 mass shootings so far in 2023, the highest number at this point in the year since at least 2016.

The archive defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.

As of 9 a.m. Saturday — the same day as the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama — two people were killed and four others wounded in Louisville, Kentucky. Officials were responding to reports of a shooting at Chickasaw Park, in which two people were pronounced dead at the scene.

Police do not yet know who opened fire in the park and no suspects have been named at this time.

Just days earlier, a mass shooting took place at Louisville’s Old National Bank, in which a gunman killed five people and injured nine others. The bank is about five miles from Chickasaw Park.

“The city of Dadeville is a close-knit community full of wonderful people. I ask that you keep our community in your prayers. I ask you to keep my police in your prayers,” said Chief of Police Jonathan Floyd at a press conference after the shooting.

Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Raymond Porter also confirmed grief counselors will be visiting schools across Dadeville on Monday. abc news reports. However, he did not confirm whether students had been killed or injured in the attack.

“I also ask that you do not let this moment dictate what you think of the City of Dadeville,” Chief Floyd added. “What we are dealing with no church should have to endure.”

Dadeville is a small, rural town in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. About 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, it has a population of just over 3,200.

Locals consider Dadeville the “Heart of Lake Martin,” an artificial lake with a dam that was completed in 1929.

The shooting took place at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Saturday night, witnesses said WBL. A shot erupted at the party around 10:30 p.m.

According to the studio’s Facebook page, it was preparing to celebrate its two-year anniversary on April 29 with a Michael Jackson-themed pop, rock and soul show.

“This show will be filled with lots of sass, flair and a guaranteed ROCKIN’ good time!” wrote one post.

Dadeville Mayor Jimmy Goodman said residents were “in shock” and were “doing our best to cope.”

“We’re just trying to get by,” he said abc news.

The mass shooting is the latest in a violent spring in the US South. In late March, a woman shot dead six people, including three 9-year-old children, at a Nashville private school. A few weeks later, a mass gunman in Louisville, Kentucky, killed six people and injured nine others at his workplace.

Ben Haynes, the senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dadeville, said he spent the night with the families of the victims abc news.

Family members of the victims reportedly told Mr Haynes that an argument within the party sparked the shooting and that more than 50 people were at the party when the violence erupted.

The situation is currently under investigation by the ALEA State Bureau of Investigations, the Dadeville Police Department and the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office.