Four dead, 20 injured in Alabama birthday mass shooting

Four people have been killed and more than 20 others injured in a birthday party mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama on Saturday night.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the birthday party took place around 10:30pm.

According to Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, there was no initial confirmation about what led to the shooting, as it was not immediately known if a suspect was in custody.

Burkett said there were four lives tragically lost in this incident and that there had been a multitude of injuries.

CBS News reports that the shootings rocked the small city of 3,200, saying that a vigil was planned for Sunday night.

Most of the shooting victims were teenagers, and those slain included the birthday girl’s brother, local high-school football stand-out Phil Dowdell, team chaplain Ben Hayes told AL.com on Sunday.

Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan L. Floyd told Associated Press at a news conference that “What we’ve dealt with is something that no community should have to endure. I just ask for your patience. It’s going to be a long process, but I do earnestly solicit your prayers.”

It reported that more than 12 hours after the shooting, investigators continued filing in and out of the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, denoted by a banner hanging on the outside of a one-story brick building in Dadeville’s compact downtown.

City and county officials milled about the Tallapoosa County Courthouse less than a block away, where officials lowered the American and Alabama flags to half staff.