4 dead and 28 injured

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DADEVILLE, Ala. – Authorities in Alabama were imploring people to come forward with information Sunday about a shooting that killed four people and injured 28 others during a teenager’s birthday party.

The shooting happened at a birthday party in downtown Dadeville at around 10:30 p.m., Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said. There was no initial confirmation about what led to the shooting, and Burkett did not identify a suspect but said the person is no longer a threat to the community.

“There were four lives tragically lost in this incident and there’s been a multitude of injuries,” Burkett said during a news conference Sunday.

Burkett said 28 individuals had sustained a “wide variety of injuries” during the shooting with some in critical condition. Fifteen teenagers were reportedly treated for gunshot wounds at Dadeville’s Lake Martin Community Hospital, hospital spokesperson Heidi Smith told media outlets.

Of the 15 teens, six have been treated and released while nine have been transferred to other medical facilities, Smith told CNN. Five of the hospitalized teens were in critical condition and four were stable. Some victims were flown to a trauma center in Birmingham, Alabama, according to NPR.

The shootings rocked the city of 3,200 residents, which is about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama. The gunfire erupted in Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio, which was converted from the old Bank of Dadeville two years ago.

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Victim attends prayer vigil in hospital gown, recounts incident

As officials invesitgate the shooting, hundreds gathered Sunday afternoon at the First Baptist Church in Dadeville to pray and offer support to one another. Community members were seen hugging and holding onto one another. Teenagers gathered in knots, crying and wiping away tears.

One of the victims, Taniya Cox, attended the vigil in a hospital gown with her right arm in a cast. She said she was shot twice in her right arm at the party Saturday night.

“The mother said whoever had guns had to get out and they didn’t get out and five minutes later the shooting started,” Cox said. “I ran in front of a bullet and got shot. I didn’t know what was going on I just saw blood coming out of my arm.”

Cox said she went to the back of the room and there were “other shooters.”

“They told me to get out of the way, or I would get shot,” she said.

— Marty Roney, Montgomery Advisor

Pastor: Most victims were teens

Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as the chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and for the local high school football team, said most of the victims were teens. He said the shooting occurred at a birthday party for a 16-year-old, and the violence has shaken the small town where serious crime is rare.

“One of the young men that was killed was one of our star athletes and just a great guy. So I knew many of these students. Dadeville is a small town and this is going to affect everybody in this area,” Hayes said.

Hayes said families had swarmed the local hospital Saturday night searching for answers and the condition of their children. He added that serious crime is rare in Dadeville, and the small city is “sad, traumatized, in shock.”