Dadeville Shooting: What We Know About The Three Murder Suspects
Three people, including two teenage brothers, were arrested in connection with the April 15 Dadeville, Ala. mass shooting at a Sweet 16 birthday party where at least four people died and 32 were injured. There could be more arrests in this ongoing investigation.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced Wednesday morning (April 19) the arrests of Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, Ala. They were charged with four counts of reckless murder.
CBS News reported that authorities took Ty Reik and Travis into custody Tuesday night, and prosecutors plan to charge them as adults. The third suspect, Wilson LaMar Hill Jr. a 20-year-old from Auburn, Ala., was arrested Wednesday afternoon and was also charged with four counts of reckless murder.
The two brothers attended Booker T. Washington Magnet High School where Ty Reik was on the football team, local station WBRC reported. Travis was expelled from the school prior to the shooting.
“We are deeply saddened and shaken by the tragedy. We are working closely with law enforcement to ensure the safety of our students,” the Macon County School System in Tuskegee said in a statement, adding that they could not address the allegations against the brothers, according to AL.com.
Ty Reik’s football coach, Lawrence O’Neal, told NBC News that the teen had a good junior season and drew the attention of Division II and junior college programs. O’Neal urged everyone to wait until authorities release all the evidence before judging him.
"The picture that's being painted, it might not be the picture that comes out in the end," O’Neal said. "I'm not saying they are victims. But what I am saying is the picture that's being painted now, that they just showed up to shoot up the party, is not the reality of the situation."
Wilson LaMar Hill Sr. defended his son, telling NBC News that his namesake isn’t a bad person.
“I don’t know how he got caught up with this. I’m just praying for him and all the victims. I’m praying for the victims and my son,” said Hill Sr. who is hiring an attorney for his son.
Meanwhile, the police are continuing their investigation into one of the largest mass shootings in Alabama history that traumatized the city of just over 3,000 residents, located 57 miles northeast of Montgomery.
“Please understand with the violence that went on and the magnitude of what happened, we are absolutely still in the early stages of this investigation. This is not the end. There is a tremendous amount of work that is yet to be done. We’re going to continue to do exactly what we’ve been doing,” Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said at a press conference Wednesday.
Burkett declined to share certain details about the investigation, including a motive, how many guns and shots were fired, and how many shooters were involved.
Gun fire erupted at approximately 10:30 p.m. at Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio. Between 40 and 50 partygoers were in attendance before the shooting started. Authorities identified those killed in the shooting as Philstavious Dowdell, 18, Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17, Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23. Another 32 people were injured, with some of them in critical condition.