6 People Have Now Been Arrested in Sweet 16 Party Shooting

2 more suspects, ages 15 and 19, arrested
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Apr 20, 2023 1:55 PM CDT
Updated Apr 21, 2023 1:12 AM CDT
4th Suspect Arrested in Sweet 16 Party Shooting
A bullet hole is visible in the glass transom over the door at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville, Ala., Sunday, April 16, 2023. Several people were killed and multiple others injured in a shooting at a birthday party at the dance studio the previous night.   (AP Photo/Jeff Amy)
UPDATE Apr 21, 2023 1:12 AM CDT

Six people are now behind bars in connection with the shooting that killed four young people and left 32 others injured at a 16th birthday party in Alabama Saturday night. Willie George Brown Jr., 19, was the fifth person charged in the case; he faces charges of reckless murder along with the first four people charged, AL.com reports. A sixth suspect, who is 15, was also taken into custody Thursday. "Obviously with the number of victims, it was very complicated to reconstruct," the district attorney says. "The number of witnesses makes it tedious and time-consuming to try to make sure that we identify the proper suspects."

Apr 20, 2023 1:55 PM CDT

Another arrest has been made in connection with a shooting at Sweet 16 birthday party in Alabama that left four young people dead and 32 others injured. Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, has been charged with four counts of reckless murder, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. A total of four defendants are now facing reckless murder charges in connection with the shooting rampage that shocked the small east Alabama city of Dadeville. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency has yet to detail the number of guns used or bullets fired, notes Al.com.

Brothers Tyreese "Ty Reik" McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16—also both from Tuskegee—were arrested Tuesday. Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn, was arrested Wednesday. The district attorney said the teens will be tried as adults as required by Alabama law when anyone 16 or older is charged with murder. The victims were Philstavious Dowdell, 18; Shaunkivia Nicole "Keke" Smith, 17; Marsiah Emmanuel "Siah" Collins, 19; and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23.

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The shooting was the 16th mass killing in the US this year, per a database maintained by the AP and USA Today in partnership with Northeastern University. A 17th took place in Maine on Tuesday. A total of 88 people have died in the killings so far in 2023. (More mass shootings stories.)

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