Earlier than photographs rang out at an Alabama Candy 16 celebration Saturday evening — leaving four dead and 28 wounded — there have been rumors amongst party-goers that somebody in attendance had a gun, the celebration’s DJ stated.
“They talked about somebody had a gun,” DJ Keenan Cooper told local ABC affiliate station WBMA. “They stopped the celebration for a second, requested them to go away, no one left and the celebration continued.”
An hour later, at about 10:30 p.m., the gunman opened fireplace contained in the downtown Dadeville dance studio.
The joyful celebration of about 40 to 50 folks rapidly was a chaotic and terrifying nightmare as party-goers ran for his or her lives.
Cooper stated he helped teenagers cover underneath the desk the place he was doing his DJ set.
“I solely tried to assist who was in entrance of me, so I had lots of people underneath the desk and beside me making an attempt to guard them,” he instructed the native station.
“After all people ran out, I made certain they have been okay and that’s after I got here out and the police arrived.”
Two of the 4 useless have been identified as the older brother of the birthday girl and a highschool athlete. Phil Dowdell and KeKe Nicole Smith, each seniors at Dadeville Excessive Faculty, have been killed.
Dowdell, the birthday woman Alexis’ brother, not too long ago dedicated to enjoying huge receiver at Jacksonville State College and was known as “the No. 1 athlete within the college” by Dadeville Excessive’s assistant soccer, basketball and observe coach Michael Taylor.
Greater than two dozen folks have been injured within the frantic scene, together with Dowdell’s mom, who was shot twice.
Police haven’t launched any data on the suspect within the mass taking pictures apart from to say the gunman is now not a risk to the neighborhood. They haven’t revealed any data on a doable motive both.
