3 charged with murder in Sweet 16 party shooting in Alabama

Apr 19, 2023, 8:07 AM | Updated: 6:38 pm

DADEVILLE, Ala. (AP) — Two teenagers and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and charged with reckless murder in connection with a shooting that killed four young people at a Sweet Sixteen birthday party in rural Alabama, investigators announced Wednesday.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced that Tuskegee residents Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16 — and Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn — have been charged with four counts of reckless murder. Tallapoosa County District Attorney Mike Segrest said the two teens would be tried as adults, an automatic requirement for anyone 16 or older charged with murder in Alabama.

Sgt. Jeremy J. Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency declined at a news conference Wednesday to discuss how investigators believe the shooting unfolded.

“We can’t get into a motive right now, because that would be part of an ongoing investigation,” Burkett said. “We can’t share that.”

State law defines reckless murder as when someone causes a death by acting with extreme indifference to human life and recklessly engaging in conduct which creates a grave risk of death.

Saturday’s shooting at a 16th birthday party shocked Dadeville, a sleepy east Alabama town of 3,200. Besides the four people killed, 32 others were injured, four of them critically. The party, at a dance studio just off the town square, was in full swing when gunfire erupted.

The birthday girl’s brother, 18-year-old Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell of Camp Hill, died as his sister knelt beside him begging him to keep breathing. He and another fatal victim, 17-year-old Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith of Dadeville, were high school seniors. Also killed were Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, of Opelika, and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, of Dadeville.

“I just feel broken to know he is not with me,” Dowdell’s mother, LaTonya Allen said. “But I do feel a little peace knowing they arrested somebody.” The arrests were announced the same day Dowdell’s mother met with the funeral home to discuss details for his burial.

Allen said the three suspects were not invited to the party and her daughter “didn’t know them,” but they might have come with someone else as word of the party spread on social media.

Allen said she didn’t know how the shooting happened, but that she knew her son was gone once she saw him on the floor surrounded by blood. “My daughter was kneeling beside him. He was trying to say something to her but he couldn’t,” she said.

The shooting was the 16th mass killing in the U.S. this year. A 17th took place in Maine on Tuesday. A total of 88 people have died in the killings so far in 2023. A mass killing is defined as the slaying of four or more people other than the perpetrator, according to a database maintained by The Associated Press and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University.

Phil Dowdell was a star wide receiver readying to play college football at Jacksonville State University. Smith, also college-bound in the fall, was a caring big sister, her family said, and an athlete who became a team manager after being sidelined by a knee injury. Collins was a 2020 Opelika High School graduate planning to start college in the fall after taking a year off to try his hand at music. Holston was a 2018 Dadeville High graduate and former school athlete.

Flowers, balloons and two teddy bears with graduation caps and “Class of 2023” sashes were piled up Wednesday outside the dance studio. Black and gold balloons and ribbons, the colors of Dadeville High, adorned local mailboxes.

Segrest said dozens of teens from nearby towns attended the party, leavin trauma to ripple across the region. “There were so many kids in this venue and what they saw, they’re victims in this,” he said. “Their families are victims of this.”

A family member of KeKe Smith was thankful for arrests. “It don’t make the hurt any easier. But we are relieved that they (the suspects) are not out in the community,” Amy Jackson said in a phone interview.

Investigators have released little information, frustrating some.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency had said only that shell casings from handguns had been found, and that there was no evidence a high-powered rifle was used. Burkett on Wednesday again appealed for information from party-goers and the public.

Segrest said they will ask that the suspects be held without bond. It was not known Wednesday afternoon if those arrested had attorneys who could comment for them.

In 2020, Alabama had the fifth highest rate of gun deaths in the country, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“Somebody’s got to start thinking about mama, because I know I’m tired of it and everybody behind me is tired of it,” Burkett said. “We’re tired of going to the mothers and having to tell them that these kids are not coming home.”

———-

Jeff Amy reported from Atlanta.

United States News

Associated Press

San Francisco police: 9 victims hit but no deaths in Mission District mass shooting

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Multiple victims were struck by bullets during a mass shooting in San Francisco’s Mission District Friday night, but authorities said there were no fatalities. “We can confirm there are 9 shooting victims — all are expected to survive their injuries,” the San Francisco Police Department said in a tweet. Police said […]

5 hours ago

FILE - Cameron Champ, of the United States, hits out of a bunker on the ninth hole during the Walke...

Associated Press

Beverly Hills-adjacent golf club opens doors to world with U.S. Open

LOS ANGELES (AP) — For much of the past century, the Los Angeles Country Club was quite literally a hidden gem. While Los Angeles grew from a warm-weather outpost into a global metropolis, this picturesque golf club sat in one of the city’s most dazzling settings — 325 acres of multibillion-dollar real estate adjoining Beverly […]

1 day ago

Seen is the damage from a collapsed apartment building, Monday, June 5, 2023, in Davenport, Iowa. T...

Associated Press

Cracked floors, bowed walls: Many warnings but no action at Iowa building before deadly collapse

DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) — So many people knew something wasn’t right at the 116-year-old Davenport apartment building. The structural engineer who documented the shaky wall. The head of a masonry company who wouldn’t let his workers onto the site. The city inspector who threatened to close some units. A downtown official who called 911 […]

1 day ago

One of several cameras set up to capture live debate in the chamber of the Nebraska Legislature is ...

Associated Press

Nebraska Legislature as reality TV, featuring filibuster and culture war drama

LINCOLN, Neb. (AP) — Mention televised legislative debates, and what may come to mind are stuffy, policy-wonk discussions broadcast by C-SPAN. This year’s Nebraska Legislature was more like a reality TV show, with culture-war rhetoric, open hostility among lawmakers, name-calling, yelling and more. Many Nebraskans couldn’t get enough of it. “It was addictive,” said Jamie […]

1 day ago

Drag performer Neon Calypso, center, sings and dances to Tina Turner's version of the song "Proud M...

Associated Press

Pride is back in Boston as parade returns after quarrel over inclusivity

BOSTON (AP) — The biggest Pride parade in New England returns to Boston after a three-year hiatus Saturday, with a fresh focus on social justice and inclusion rather than corporate backing. About 10,000 marchers signed up before registration was shut down, according to organizers. Employee groups are welcome to march, but corporations aren’t. “We really […]

1 day ago

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy of Calif., leaves his office on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday,...

Associated Press

Trump’s GOP defenders in Congress leap into action on charges after months of preparation

WASHINGTON (AP) — Former President Donald Trump’s indictment on charges of mishandling classified documents is set to play out in a federal court in Florida. But hundred of miles away, part of Trump’s defense is well underway in a different venue — the halls of Congress, where Republicans have been preparing for months to wage […]

1 day ago

Sponsored Articles

...

OCD & Anxiety Treatment Center

5 mental health myths you didn’t know were made up

Helping individuals understand mental health diagnoses like obsessive compulsive spectrum disorder or generalized anxiety disorder isn’t always an easy undertaking. After all, our society tends to spread misconceptions about mental health like wildfire. This is why being mindful about how we talk about mental health is so important. We can either perpetuate misinformation about already […]

...

re:vitalize

Why drug-free weight loss still matters

Wanting to lose weight is a common goal for many people as they progress throughout life, but choosing between a holistic approach or to take medicine can be a tough decision.

(Photo by Michael Matthey/picture alliance via Getty Images)...

Cox Communications

Valley Boys & Girls Club uses esports to help kids make healthy choices

KTAR’s Community Spotlight focuses on the Boys & Girls Club of the Valley and the work to incorporate esports into children's lives.

3 charged with murder in Sweet 16 party shooting in Alabama