Police search for shooter, motive after deadly Alabama birthday party shooting; victims identified: Updates

Ashley R. Williams, Marty Roney, Adrianna Rodriguez and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY NETWORK
Updated ·6 min read
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DADEVILLE, Ala. – Investigators on Monday were urgently seeking details from anyone who knew what led to a deadly weekend shooting that turned a Sweet 16 party into a scene of horror.

Four people were killed and 32 were injured, some critically, at a girl's birthday celebration, authorities said. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed Monday night that the total number of injuries had increased to 32 individuals after previously reporting that 28 had been injured. Two Dadeville High School seniors were among those killed.

“We’ve got to have information from the community,” Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said at one of two news conferences held Sunday in Dadeville, a town of 3,200 people about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery. Burkett has not said whether a suspect is in custody, but he urged witnesses to come forward.

Investigators found numerous shell casings used in handguns but no high-powered rifle ammunition at the scene, according to a release Monday night from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Saturday night's rampage marks the 160th mass shooting in the U.S. in 2023, according to the nonprofit Gun Violence Archive.

Here’s what we know:

Investigators block the scene of a shooting at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio on April 16, 2023, in Dadeville, Alabama.
Investigators block the scene of a shooting at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio on April 16, 2023, in Dadeville, Alabama.

What happened in the Alabama shooting?

The shooting began shortly after 10:30 p.m. Saturday at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, the site of the former Bank of Dadeville, investigators said.

The party’s DJ, Keenan Cooper, told WBMA-TV that attendees heard someone had a gun, and the party briefly stopped.

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Though anyone with guns was asked to leave, no one left, he said. The gunfire erupted some time later, Cooper recalled, sending people scattering for shelter under tables or to safety outside.

Authorities had not released information about what led to the shooting as of Monday.

A bullet hole is visible in the glass transom over the door at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville, Ala., on April 16, 2023
A bullet hole is visible in the glass transom over the door at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville, Ala., on April 16, 2023

Who were the victims at Alabama birthday party shooting?

Tallapoosa County coroner Mike Knox on Monday identified the four shooting victims as:

  • Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, of Opelika, Alabama

  • Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, of Dadeville, Alabama

  • Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill, Alabama

  • Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17, of Dadeville, Alabama

Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to Jacksonville State University, was celebrating at his sister Alexis' party when he was shot and killed, his grandmother, Annette Allen, told the Montgomery Advertiser, part of the USA TODAY Network.

She described her grandson as a humble child who always had a “million-dollar smile."

Dowdell’s mother was among those hurt in the shooting, she said.

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Taniya Cox, a gunshot victim who knew those who were killed, attended a Sunday afternoon vigil held at First Baptist Church in Dadeville wearing her hospital gown and a cast on the right arm where she’d been shot twice.

Cox said the shooting began about five minutes after Dowdell’s mother told people with guns to exit the building.

“I ran in front of a bullet and got shot,” she said. “I didn’t know what was going on. I just saw blood coming out of my arm.”

Birthday girl recalls shooting: 'Bunch of blood on the floor'

Alexis Dowdell recalled her Sweet 16 birthday party on Monday, where she found her brother on the floor of the dance studio with the bodies of other wounded teens scattered around them.

“I got on my knees and he was laying face down. And that’s when I grabbed him. I turned him over, I was holding him,” Alexis Dowdell said, recounting the moment she found Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell.

Alexis Dowdell said she tapped her brother’s face and begged him to “stay with me.”

The Saturday night began with “everybody dancing, vibing to the music,” Alexis Dowdell said. But the event had stopped briefly when people heard someone had a gun, Keenan Cooper, the DJ at the party, told WBMA-TV.

While people with weapons were asked to leave, Cooper said no one did. Soon after, the shooting started.

When the gunfire had ceased for a moment, Alexis Dowdell said she ran towards the front door before someone pushed her. It was her brother, trying to protect her.

“I guess he tried to push me out the door as fast as he could, but I ended up slipping on blood, because it was a whole bunch of blood on the floor,” she said.

Who was the Alabama birthday party shooter?

Several questions remained unanswered Monday by local, state and federal law enforcement agencies, including the identity of the shooter and a possible motive.

Authorities said Sunday that the public no longer faced a threat.

Two teens embrace at a prayer vigil on April 16, 2023, outside First Baptist Church in Dadeville, Ala.
Two teens embrace at a prayer vigil on April 16, 2023, outside First Baptist Church in Dadeville, Ala.

Grief counselors available at schools Monday 

As students returned to Tallapoosa County schools Monday, counselors were on hand to help anyone coping with the shooting’s aftermath, school district superintendent Raymond C. Porter said.

Heidi Smith, spokesperson for Dadeville's Lake Martin Community Hospital – where 15 gunshot victims were taken – said her hospital and others would provide at least some of those counselors.

“It’s going to be a tough time for graduation and for these kids, and we will be here for them and their families for the duration," Smith said.

Dadeville High School's graduation is scheduled for May 25, according to the school's website.

'There's not a playbook for something like this,' coach says

At Dadeville, which had 485 students from grades 6-12 enrolled last year, head football coach Roger McDonald said he would try his best to support grieving students.

“There’s not a playbook for something like this,” he said. “The best you (can) do is just love on your kids, let them all know how much you care about them, be there for them.”

Assistant coach Michael Taylor, who first met victim Dowdell when he was 9, was there as the teen’s body was carried out of the dance studio.

“We’ve got to pray our way out of this," Taylor said. "There ain’t no other way.”

Smith, the other student killed, was also a senior at Dadeville High and a manager for the basketball and track teams.

Collins played football and graduated from Opelika High School in 2022, his father, Martin Collins, told AL.com. The aspiring rapper planned to attend Louisiana State University.

Holston graduated from Dadeville High in 2018 and, according to his social media accounts, was living in Birmingham before his death.

What are Alabama's gun laws?

After a new law took effect in January, anyone 18 or over may carry a handgun in the state without a permit, background check or safety training in Alabama. Gov. Kay Ivey signed a law that repealed the concealed carry permit requirement in March 2022.

Alabama ranked as the state with the fifth-highest rate of gun-related deaths, behind Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming and Missouri, according to 2020 data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Contributing: The Associated Press

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Alabama shooting updates: Police identify victims, seek shooter