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| Four people killed and multiple others injured in Alabama shooting | Four people killed and multiple others injured in Alabama shooting |
| (about 5 hours later) | |
| Most of the victims are teenagers from last night’s shooting at dance studio during a 16th birthday party in Dadeville | |
| Four people were killed in a shooting in east Alabama on Saturday night at a dance studio during a teenager’s birthday party and multiple people left injured, police said. | |
| WRBL, a local news station, reported that the shooting happened at about 10.30pm Saturday night at a 16th birthday party in Dadeville, about 50 miles north-east of Montgomery. | WRBL, a local news station, reported that the shooting happened at about 10.30pm Saturday night at a 16th birthday party in Dadeville, about 50 miles north-east of Montgomery. |
| Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as the chaplain for the Dadeville police department and for the local high school football team, said most of the victims are teenagers . He said the shooting has rocked the small town where serious crime is rare. | Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as the chaplain for the Dadeville police department and for the local high school football team, said most of the victims are teenagers . He said the shooting has rocked the small town where serious crime is rare. |
| “One of the young men that was killed was one of our star athletes and just a great guy. So I knew many of these students. Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area,” Hayes said. | “One of the young men that was killed was one of our star athletes and just a great guy. So I knew many of these students. Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area,” Hayes said. |
| It was not immediately known if a suspect was in custody. | It was not immediately known if a suspect was in custody. |
| The Alabama law enforcement agency confirmed the fatalities in a statement early Sunday announcing its special agents and the local sheriff’s office were investigating the shooting at the request of the Dadeville police chief: “The investigation is a result of a shooting which occurred at approximately 10.34pm near the 200 Block of Broadnax Street in Dadeville, located in Tallapoosa county. Currently, there have been four confirmed fatalities and multiple injuries.” | The Alabama law enforcement agency confirmed the fatalities in a statement early Sunday announcing its special agents and the local sheriff’s office were investigating the shooting at the request of the Dadeville police chief: “The investigation is a result of a shooting which occurred at approximately 10.34pm near the 200 Block of Broadnax Street in Dadeville, located in Tallapoosa county. Currently, there have been four confirmed fatalities and multiple injuries.” |
| Investigators believe an altercation had led to the shooting at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, WRBL reported. | |
| “It was tied to a birthday party,” Sgt Jeremy Burkett, of the Alabama law enforcement agency, said. “There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been a multitude of injuries.” | |
| Jonathan Floyd, chief of Dadeville police, said at a news conference: “What we’ve dealt with is something that no community should have to endure. I just ask for your patience. It’s going to be a long process, but I do earnestly solicit your prayers.” | |
| More than 12 hours after the shooting, investigators continued filing in and out of the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio on Sunday. | |
| City and county officials milled about the Tallapoosa county courthouse less than a block away, where officials lowered the American and Alabama flags to half staff. | |
| “This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” Kay Ivey, the governor of Alabama, said on Twitter. | |
| “Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.” | “Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.” |
| In 2022 Ivey signed a bill into law which ended the requirement for a person to get a permit to legally carry a concealed handgun in public. The National Rifle Association (NRA) had lobbied for the bill to be passed. | |
| In an ad for her re-election campaign last year, Ivey touted her gun-friendly approach, describing the second amendment as “sacred”. In the advert Ivey was shown withdrawing a handgun from her purse. | |
| Alabama has the third highest rate of gun deaths in the US, according to a 2020 report by Everytown, an organization which works to improve gun safety and end gun violence. | |
| The shooting comes as two people were killed in a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday night, days after a gunman shot and killed five people in the city. | The shooting comes as two people were killed in a shooting in Louisville, Kentucky, on Saturday night, days after a gunman shot and killed five people in the city. |
| Associated Press reported that an unidentified suspect fired a gun into a crowd of hundreds in Chickasaw Park in Louisville, killing two people and wounding four others. | Associated Press reported that an unidentified suspect fired a gun into a crowd of hundreds in Chickasaw Park in Louisville, killing two people and wounding four others. |
| On Monday five people were killed when a man opened fire with an assault-style rifle at the Louisville bank where he worked. Eight others were wounded. | On Monday five people were killed when a man opened fire with an assault-style rifle at the Louisville bank where he worked. Eight others were wounded. |
| “This has been an unspeakable week of tragedy for our city,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said at the scene of the shooting on Saturday night. | “This has been an unspeakable week of tragedy for our city,” Mayor Craig Greenberg said at the scene of the shooting on Saturday night. |
| “On Monday, we lost five of our fellow citizens to a horrific act of workplace gun violence,” Greenberg said. | “On Monday, we lost five of our fellow citizens to a horrific act of workplace gun violence,” Greenberg said. |
| “And now, five days later, we’re at another scene of a reckless act of gun violence.” | “And now, five days later, we’re at another scene of a reckless act of gun violence.” |