As we previously reported, a shooter opened fire at a Sweet 16 birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, on Saturday night, killing four people and injuring 29 more.
Earlier this week, the Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox identified the victims as 23-year-old Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, Philstavious Dowdell, 18, Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19, and 17-year-old Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, “They died from gunshot wounds,” Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox told PEOPLE, who adds that the autopsies were being performed on the victims.
In a Wednesday update, it was announced that two teenagers, ages 17 and 16, of Tuskegee, were arrested Tuesday and charged with four counts of reckless murder each, he said. The names of the suspects have not yet been shared. During a conference, District Attorney Mike Segrest said the pair would be charged as adults and that prosecutors would ask a judge to hold them without bail. It was also noted that a bond hearing must be held by Friday under Alabama law.
“We’re going to make sure all those victims have justice, not just the deceased,” Segrest said. He also said four people remain in the hospital in critical condition and that more charges would be coming.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency also said “Make no mistake: This is Alabama, and when you pull out a gun and you start shooting people, we’re going to put you in jail,” Burkett said.
He wouldn’t say where the two are being jailed, or whether they already were in custody when they were charged in the case. “We can’t get into a motive right now, because that would be part of an ongoing investigation,” Burkett said. “We can’t share that.”
More On The Suspect’s Arrests
The teens from Tuskegee were arrested by Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) Tuesday night.
“These individuals have been charged after a complex and thorough investigation was conducted with assistance from a multitude of law enforcement agencies,” the ALEA said in a statement.
“The Dadeville Police Department, the Tuskegee Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office were all instrumental in assisting and supporting the investigation, along with locating and apprehending the suspects.”
The gunfire broke out at a birthday party for Alexis Dowdell, which was being held at a dance studio just off the town’s courthouse square. Witnesses claimed at the time that multiple people began shooting sometime after Dowdell’s mother paused the celebration to ask people with guns to leave.
Sadly, the birthday girl’s brother, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, died in his sister’s arms. Mother LaTonya Allen, spoke with CNN about the death of her 18-year-old son.
“I just want justice for my baby and all the other kids that were involved,” Allen told CNN on Monday. “They took away a piece of my heart, and I know the other mothers and fathers feel the same way.”
So far, investigators have been following up on “strong leads” in the shooting, Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan Floyd told the outlet earlier this week. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said several shell casings used in handguns were collected at the scene, and no high-powered rifle ammunition was recovered.
We will continue to keep you updated as this story develops.
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