Birthday Horror: Gun V!olence Claims Four Lives at Alabama Dance Studio

A tragic shooting at a 16th birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, has left at least four people dead and 28 others injured, some critically.

The shooting took place on Saturday at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio, shocking the small, rural community of Dadeville, which is not accustomed to such scenes of violence.

Local media have named high school senior Phil Dowdell, a star athlete who was due to attend Jacksonville State University on a football scholarship, as one of the victims.

Most of the injured are believed to be teenagers, and some parents were still searching for information about their children 12 hours after the shooting occurred.

President Joe Biden has renewed his calls for tougher gun laws in the wake of the incident, stating that “what has our nation come to when children cannot attend a birthday party without fear?”

The shooting takes the US to a grim milestone of more than 160 mass shootings so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.

One of the striking and unusual aspects of this incident is how little we know about the possible suspect. Next to no details have emerged about how the shooting was brought to an end, or whether a suspect has themselves died or is in custody.

The investigation is expected to be “long and complicated,” according to Sgt Jeremy Burkett of the state’s law enforcement agency.

The incident has deeply affected the small town of Dadeville, with Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves as chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and for the local high school football team, stating that “this is going to affect everybody in this area.”

Teenagers attending a vigil for the victims were visibly shaken and crying, with one woman expressing disbelief that such an incident could happen in her area.

Alabama is a state known for protecting the right of citizens to own guns, and the Republican governor’s message of condolence has been met with criticism on social media by those advocating for gun law reform.

Alabama’s state governor Kay Ivey, a strong supporter of second amendment rights, signed legislation last year ending a requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.