Three arrests have been made in connection to the Sweet 16 birthday party mass shooting that occurred in Dadeville, Alabama on April 15. The shooting left “at least” 32 people hurt and four people dead.
The three suspects arrested were all young Black men from nearby towns: “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, as well as Wilson Hill, 20, 0f Auburn. All three suspects face four counts of reckless murder and will be charged as adults. Ty and Travis are brothers.
MUGSHOTS of Dadeville Suspects
Travis McCullough – 16 y/o
Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough – 17 y/o
Wilson LaMar Hill Jr. – 20 y/oCharged with 4 counts of Reckless Murder in connection to the mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville
REMEMBER – More arrests are excpected… pic.twitter.com/42hSboZta7
— Crime With Bobby (@crimewithbobby) April 20, 2023
“It’s a combination of devastation, shock, a sense of just pain and suffering,” Tallapoosa Commissioner Thomas “T.C.” Coley told rolling out, “but also a sense of resiliency and rallying. A sense of outpouring of love and support.”
In front of the door of the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio lies a memorial with four candles listing the names of the four victims of the shooting: Keke, Phil, Corbin and Siah.
Shaunkivia “KeKe” Nicole Smith was a 17-year-old senior at Dadeville High School. She played several sports at the school and planned to study nursing at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, according to the Alabama Reflector.
Phil Dowdell, 18, was also a senior at Dadeville High School. He was a multi-sport athlete set to attend Jacksonville State to play football. It was his younger sister’s, Alexis, birthday party where the shooting occurred. Phil pushed Alexis out of the way of gunfire before he ultimately became a victim.
Corbin Holston, 23, was a Dadeville graduate who came to the party once a younger relative alerted him there might be some trouble at the party, his mother told AL.com.
Marsiah “Siah” Collins, 18, was a 2022 graduate of Opelika High School. After high school, he became a musician.
Throughout Dadeville, electronic billboards played photo slideshows of all of the victims. Each local business has a sign that reads “Dadeville Strong.”
A prayer service was held at Strand Park in nearby Alexander City, Alabama on April 19. A group of teary Dadeville students huddled up in prayer as police officers stood nearby. Another vigil is scheduled for 6 p.m. Central at Mount Lovely Baptist Church in Camp Hill, Alabama on April 20.
Raw emotions aside, the mass shooting has brought up the question of gun control in America. As of the morning of April 20, there have been 165 mass shootings in America in 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive. There have been 110 days in 2023.
“In situations like this, there’s obviously concern about the number of illegal guns,” Coley said. “Also, there may be other components.”
Coley, a former scouts leader, said he wants some of the focus to go to mentorship and investing in young people’s lives.
“Do we have enough well-funded parks and recs programs?” Coley asked. “Do we have the resources to fund extracurricular activities for students? Are there enough adult volunteers to come out and get involved with children … You’re not going to come in with kids do one or two little cute little things for the camera and walk away. Kids respond to relationship building. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”
