The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said at least four people were killed and several injured in a shooting in Dadeville on Saturday night.
The shootings took place on Broadnax Street during a birthday party around 10:30 p.m., said Sgt. Jeremy Burkett, a spokesman for ALEA, at a press conference Sunday morning. The Alexander City Outlook reported the shootings took place at Mahogany’s Masterpiece, a dance studio.
“There were four lives, not fatalities, lives,” Burkett said.
There was no immediate word on the exact number of injuries. Burkett did not say at the press conference whether any arrests had been made, but said in response to a question afterward that there was no public safety threat.
“What we’ve dealt with is something that none of you should have to endure,” said Jonathan L. Floyd, the chief of the Dadeville Police Department.
Jaheem Brown said Sunday morning he was at the party last night but left early.
“My heart goes out to all of the families who have to go through this,” he said.
An ALEA statement earlier on Sunday said the Dadeville Police Department had requested assistance with the investigation. Other law enforcement on the scene included the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the Federal Bureau of Investigations and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Dadeville is a city of about 3,000 people near Lake Martin in Tallapoosa County. Rep. Ed Oliver, R-Dadeville, who represents the area in the Legislature, said in an interview that the tragedy was “not something we could even imagine here.”
“Dadeville is a quiet town where people love and respect each other,” he said. “As this investigation continues, we will address the facts. I still believe Dadeville is a great place to live and I look forward to addressing the cause of this horrific event. For now, we just ask people to continue to pray for the victims and their families.”
Tallapoosa County Schools Superintendent Raymond C. Porter said at the Sunday morning press conference that schools would offer counseling on Monday morning, and said the shooting “does not represent our children.”
Alabama has one of the highest rates of deaths from firearms in the country, behind only Mississippi, Louisiana, Wyoming and Missouri, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to Gun Violence Archives, a nonprofit organization that tracks gun violence through police statements and media reports, there have been over 100 mass shootings in Alabama in the last 10 years, resulting in 118 deaths and 443 injuries. The organization defines a mass shooting as one in which four or more people were killed or injured, not including the shooter.
This is a breaking news story and will be updated. This story was published earlier by the Alabama Reflector, by reporters Ralph Chapoco, Alander Rocha and Jemma Stephenson.
The Reflector is an affiliate of the nonprofit States Newsroom network, which includes the Florida Phoenix.
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