Authorities have arrested two teenage boys in relation to a bloody massacre that occurred in Alabama over the weekend, per Reuters.
Four people were shot and killed and 32 others injured during a shooting that took place at a Sweet 16th birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, on Saturday (April 15).
At least 15 teenagers suffered gunshot wounds, Sergeant Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency revealed at a press conference on Wednesday (April 19). Representatives of the FBI, the US Marshals Service, a prosecutor's office, and local police were among the agencies at the news conference.
It was revealed at this conference that the suspects, ages 17 and 16, were arrested Tuesday (April 18) and charged with four counts of reckless murder each, he said, via CNN. It was also revealed that more charges could be coming and that the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency expects the pair to be charged as adults.
Earlier this week, the Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox identified all four teens who lost their lives: Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, a 23-year-old male from Dadeville, Alabama; Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, a 19-year-old male from Opelika, Alabama; Philstavious Dowdell, an 18-year-old male and star athlete from Camp Hill, Alabama, and a senior at Dadeville High School; and Shaunkivia (KeKe) Nicole Smith, a 17-year-old female, also a senior at Dadeville High School.
Soon after the shooting, President Joe Biden renewed his calls for tougher gun laws. "What has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear?" he said in a statement released by the White House on Sunday (April 16), via BBC.
Dowdell - one of the teens who lost their lives - was a senior in high school and was set to attend to Jacksonville State University in Florida on an American football scholarship. Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and for the local high school football team, said: "One of the young men that was killed was one of our star athletes and just a great guy. I knew many of these students. Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area."
For a town with a population a little over 3,000, the incident has rocked the community to the core.
.jpg_KHpWRQ?tr=h-184)
