US: Shooting at teen birthday party kills several in Alabama

Deutsche Welle At least four people were killed and multiple people were injured in a shooting at a birthday party Saturday night in Dadeville, Alabama, officials said. "There were four lives tragically lost in this incident and there's been a multitude of injuries," said Jeremy Burkett, a spokesman for the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The shooting happened after 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Burkett said at a news conference. Dadeville police chief Jonathan L. Floyd asked for patience at the conference, saying "What we've dealt with is something that no community should have to endure." It's going to be a long process, but I do earnestly solicit your prayers," he added. Ben Hayes,a senior pastor of Dadeville’s First Baptist Church, said the shooting happened at a birthday party and most of the victims were teenagers. "One of the young men that was killed was one of our star athletes," said Hayes, who also serves as the chaplain for Dadeville police and the Dadeville High School football team. "Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area," Hayes said. Dadeville is about 60 miles (92 kilometers) northeast of Montgomery, the capital of the southeastern state of Alabama, and about 3,000 people live there. President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, the White House said. Shooter targets downtown dance studio during birthday party Witnesses told CBS-affiliated television station WRBL that the shooting occurred at a dance studio during a birthday party. The station showed images of crime scene tape around the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio and neighboring buildings and a heavy police presence. Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement that: "This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge." Officials have not provided information on a motive for a shooting or the shooter. There is no official information on the number of people who have been injured either. There has been a staggering number of shootings in America this year alone. Data from the Gun Violence Archive show there has been more than 163 mass shootings in 2023. The group defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are killed, excluding the shooter.

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