6 People Arrested in Alabama Sweet 16 Shooting

Updated April 21, 2023

• Six people have been charged with reckless murder in connection to the Sweet 16 shooting. Investigators said in court documents that they believe five of those charged were present at the party on April 15 and "discharged firearms into the crowd," killing four people.  

Updated April 20, 2023

• Two teens and a 20-year-old man have been arrested and charged with reckless murder in connection to the Sweet 16 shooting. 
• Sgt Jeremy J. Burkett announced the recent arrest of Wilson LaMar Hill Jr of Auburn, Alabama, but declined to discuss specifics of a possible motive of the shooting or how the events unfolded. 

Updated April 19, 2023

• Two Alabama teens were arrested and face murder charges for the fatal Sweet 16 rampage in Dadeville on Saturday night. 
• Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, each face four counts of reckless murder, said Sgt. Jeremy Burkett with Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. Given the death toll of four and the injuries that at least 32 others are suffering from, more charges are expected to be filed. Both suspects will be tried as adults, according to Fifth Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest. 

What's the story?

• On Saturday, four people were killed and 28 were injured by a gunman who attacked a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville, Alabama. At least 15 of the wounded and three of the deceased are teenagers. 
• The shooter is still at large. The Dadeville Police Department said they have "solid leads" but are asking the public to provide any information about the assailant. 
• Dadeville, a close-knit community of just 3,000 people, is engulfed in grief and confusion. Two of the victims — Philstavious Dowdell and KeKe Smith — were seniors at Dadeville High School on the brink of graduation and heading off to college. Dowdell was the brother of the 16-year-old celebrating her birthday. 
• Local pastor Ben Hayes, who is also the chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and the Dadeville High School football team, said: 

"It's a very close, tight-knit community. Everybody knows everybody. That's why this is so difficult. I knew these kids personally. Most people did."

The big picture: Gun violence in the U.S.

• New research has found just how much gun violence impacts the nation's mental health. A study published this year suggests that the shootings have negative impacts beyond the direct survivors and community, and into the broader population of Americans. 
• A recent study from the Kaiser Family Foundation found that gun violence has impacted most families in the U.S. — just over half of all adults have a connection to at least one firearm-related incident. Nearly one in five adults have had a family member killed by a gun or have been personally threatened with a gun, and about one in six have witnessed someone being shot.  
• Black adults are around twice as likely as white or Hispanic adults to have a family member killed by a gun or witness a gunshot injury. A third of Black and Hispanic adults worry daily that one of their family members will be a victim of gun violence — nearly three times the share of white adults. 
• The survey found that about four in 10 adults, including those with children, live in a household with guns. Of this subgroup, 75% said their firearms are stored in a way that does not reflect standard gun-safety practices.

What they're saying 

• The frequency of mass shootings in the U.S. has led to an exponential increase in indirect impacts on the general public. Leah Brogan, a psychologist who works at the Center for Violence Prevention and the Center for Injury Research and Prevention at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said: 

"We know that exposure through the media – which can happen across many different outlets, with a swipe of a finger or a ding on your phone – to some type of traumatic event can result in someone experiencing an acute stress reaction and can trigger underlying post-traumatic stress…[T]hat constant exposure can be escalating and activating people even when they don't experience something directly."

• Mass shootings are often depicted as a public health issue needing a curated set of interventions. Mental health hotlines, which can offer some relief and solutions for those in distress, report an uptick in calls and messages directly after mass shootings as people, mainly young adults and teens, are encompassed with fear, grief, and helplessness.
• Dr. Shairi Turner, the chief health officer for the Crisis Text Line, an internist, and a pediatrician, said many are reaching out to establish a sense of stability in their own lives. She continued: 

"Under the age of 20 or 22, our brains are still developing, and we're still formulating our understanding of the world. Children and young adults start to create narratives around their own safety, the safety of their schools and homes and communities based on what they are witnessing. Tragedies can tend to make them think that the world is an unsafe place."

• Brogan and Turner both emphasized the importance of processing these events without letting them define you. Turner said: 

"It can take days to weeks to months to process tragedy. Reach out for support, listen to each other's feelings, and set boundaries around how much you're taking in of current crises." 

Gun violence is consuming America. Demand your reps take action now.

-Jamie Epstein 

(Photo credit: Facebook/Elizabeth White News)