Across the nation, communities are reeling from another weekend tainted by gun violence. Deadly mass shooting investigations are underway in at least two states.
Law enforcement officials in Alabama have released the names of the four people who died:
- Corbin Holston, a 23-year-old male from Dadeville, Alabama.
- Marsiah Collins, a 19-year-old male from Opelika, Alabama. His father said he was going to attend Louisiana State University in the fall.
-Phil Dowdell, an 18-year-old Dadeville High school senior and football star, committed to Jacksonville State.
-Shaunkivia Smith, a 17-year-old female, also a senior at Dadeville High School, who had plans to attend the University of Alabama.
In Kentucky, at least one shooter opened fire at a large crowd at a park, killing at least two people. And in Alabama, four people were killed and at least 28 were injured in a shooting at a party Saturday night. In the blink of an eye, the Alabama Sweet 16 birthday party turned into a mass murder scene.
According to Dadeville, Alabama law enforcement, the shooting occurred at a dance studio.
"Four lives were lost in the tragic event that occurred here in Dadeville," said Sgt. Jeremy Burkett from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. "As far as the injuries, there are 28 individuals that were injured during the course of the incident."
"We're going to do exactly what we need to do to ensure justice is brought to bear for those families," Burkett continued.
Sunday, hospital officials said at least 15 teenagers were treated for gunshot wounds.
"They are in critical condition and that's why it's so important — we absolutely need everyone to continue to pray for those individuals, to allow them to recover," Burkett added.
A high school senior football star was among those killed:18-year-old Phil Dowdell had committed to Jacksonville State. He was the birthday girl's brother.
"Phil just told me about a month ago, he said 'Coach, if anything ever happened to me, even when I go to college, take care of my two sisters,'" said Dadeville High School Football Coach Michael Taylor. "I never dreamed that he was talking about this."
Sunday, dozens in Dadeville gathered for a vigil. Investigators have yet to release any details about a suspect or a motive.
Also Saturday night, two people were killed and at least four wounded at a park in Louisville, Kentucky after bullets were fired into a large crowd at a park.
"As of right now, we have no witnesses to this incident. We do know that hundreds of people were in the park at the time of the shooting," said Louisville Police Department Deputy Chief Paul Humphrey.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the incident to come forward. It was the city's second mass shooting in less than a week. Last Monday, a gunman shot and killed five people in another mass shooting at a downtown bank.
"This has been an unspeakable week of tragedy for our city," said Louisville Mayor Craig Greenberg. "This is not our city. This is not who we are. This is not who we want to be."
Police in Louisville are saying it is unclear whether one or multiple people carried out the shooting at the park.
Monday morning, President Joe Biden took to Twitter to ask Congress to act on gun safety legislation.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, the United States has seen more than 160 mass shootings in the first 16 weeks of 2023.
Axel Turcios
