The Alabama police have arrested three individuals, including two adolescent siblings, in the Sweet 16 shooting incident.
They have now been taken into custody for their involvement in a shooting that resulted in the deaths of four people and left others injured and in critical condition.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) charged Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn, with four counts of reckless murder.
Meanwhile, ALEA Sgt. Jeremy Burkett revealed that the teenage siblings, Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, of Tuskegee, were also charged as adults with reckless murder on Tuesday night.
An FBI spokesperson confirmed that the McCulloughs are brothers.
Football Player, 2 Teens Charged for Sweet 16 Shooting
A Sweet 16 birthday party turned into a tragic event as gunfire erupted at a dance studio on Broadnax Street in Dadeville, Alabama.
According to authorities, gunfire broke out at a dance studio on Broadnax Street in Dadeville on Saturday at 10:34 p.m.
The gathering was organized to celebrate a 16-year-old girl's birthday, and it was attended by her family and friends.
According to NBC, the shooting occurred one hour after a person carrying a gun was prevented from entering the event, as per DJ Keenan Cooper, who heard multiple shots fired from different attackers.
Ty Reik McCullough, a 17-year-old football player at Booker T. Washington High School in Tuskegee, who is due to start his senior year in the fall, has been identified as one of the suspects.
Head coach Lawrence O'Neal commended McCullough on his performance during his junior season and the interest he received from Division II and junior college programs. O'Neal also urged people to reserve judgment until more information is revealed. He stated that the current portrayal of events may not be accurate.
Wilson LaMar Hill Sr., the father of another suspect, Hill, stated that the family had retained legal representation.
He believes that his son is a good person and that he got involved in the situation unknowingly. Hill Sr. added that he was praying for his son and the victims.
In Alabama, anyone 16 or older charged with murder is automatically tried as an adult, according to Tallapoosa County District Attorney Mike Segrest.
Therefore, the two teenagers will be tried as adults.
Alabama Shooting Investigation Continues
According to CBS, during a news conference on Wednesday, Sgt. Jeremy J. Burkett from the ALEA declined to discuss the specifics of how investigators believe the shooting at the Dadeville dance studio unfolded.
Burkett explained that revealing a motive would be part of an ongoing investigation and could not be shared at this time.
The identities of the four individuals killed in the shooting were released as Philstavious Dowdell (18), Shaunkivia Smith (17), Corbin Holston (23), and Marsiah Collins (19).
All of the victims were under the age of 24, and 32 others were injured, four of whom are in critical condition in hospitals.
The party, taking place in a dance studio off the town square, was in full swing when the gunfire erupted.
Among the victims was Philstavious "Phil" Dowdell from Camp Hill, who died in front of his sister, the birthday girl, as she kneeled beside him and begged him to keep breathing.
According to state law, reckless murder is defined as an individual causing death by engaging in conduct that creates a grave risk of death while exhibiting extreme indifference to human life.
According to the Associated Press, this shooting marks the 16th mass killing in the United States this year, and another took place on Tuesday in Maine, bringing the total number of deaths in such incidents to 88 people so far in 2023.
A mass killing is defined as the killing of four or more individuals, not including the perpetrator, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.
