Alabama authorities made a fourth arrest Thursday in connection to a mass shooting during a Sweet 16 party in the sleep town of Dadeville that left four dead and 32 injured.
Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, was arrested by Special Agents of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation Thursday and formally charged with four counts of reckless murder. The announcement comes Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn, was arrested by special agents at approximately 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
At a press conference earlier Wednesday, ALEA announced that two brothers, Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, had been arrested Tuesday night. The three other suspects also face four counts of reckless murder, and local prosecutors say additional charges are expected as the investigation continues.
District Attorney Mike Segrest shared with reporters the heartbreaking account of how the birthday girl, Alexis Dowdell, held her brother as he took his last breath at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio Saturday night. Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a star wide receiver with plans to play college football at Jacksonville State this fall, was killed, as were fellow Dadeville High senior Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith, 17, an athlete-turned-team manager; 2022 Opelika High School graduate Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, an aspiring singer who planned to start college this fall; and 2018 Dadeville High graduate Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, another former athlete at the school.
“It was Lexi’s 16th birthday party. A Sweet 16. There’s an uncut cake and unburnt 16 candles that never got lit. Lexi’s brother is one of the victims,” Segrest said Wednesday. “On her 16th birthday party, she kneeled by her brother as he took his last breath. That’s what we’re dealing with. The message that I want to send is I know some of these victims personally. Some of these kids are kids of friends of mine, people that I went to school with, people that I played ball with and against in the community back in high school. And these are my kids.”
“These are our kids. Don’t mess with our kids. Do not mess with our kids,” the district attorney added.
Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive for the bloodshed and have remained tight-lipped on the case so far.
