Some witnesses claim that the total number of victims is higher and that at least “six teenagers” may have died.
At least four people were killed and more than a dozen injured after a shooting at a teenager’s birthday party in Dadeville, (Alabama, southeastern United States), on Saturday night.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) reported through a statement that the shooting occurred around 22.34 on Saturday (local time) at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio in Dadeville, a small town in Tallapoosa County.
In a brief text in which nothing is mentioned about the perpetrator or perpetrators of the shooting the ALEA confirmed four dead and “several wounded”.
According to local media quoted by the BNO News portal, some 20 people were reportedly shot and five killed, a figure that has not been confirmed by the authorities.
BNO News also cites the testimony of some witnesses who claim that the total number of victims is higher and that at least “six teenagers” could have died.
Through a message on the social network twitter, the Republican governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, regretted what happened and explained that she is waiting for more information.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has no place in our state, and law enforcement is reporting closely to us as details emerge,” she said.
No clear leads
At a press conference this morning, where no questions were taken, ALEA spokesman Jeremy Burkett said the investigation “is going to be a long and complicated process.” “What happened was linked to a birthday party,” said Burkett, who confirmed that “there were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there have been a multitude of injuries.”
The spokesman appealed for “anyone with leads” on what happened to call the crime tip line.
According to reporters accompanying President Joe Biden this weekend, the president has been briefed on the shooting and he and the White House are monitoring the situation and “have been in contact with law enforcement and local officials to offer support.”
The shooting happened on the same day that at least two people were killed and four wounded by gunfire at a park in Louisville, Kentucky.
The United States has suffered at least 162 mass shootings in the first 15 weeks of 2023, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as those in which four or more people are killed, not including the perpetrator of the attack.