OAN Geraldyn Berry
UPDATED 2:47 PM – Wednesday, April 19, 2023
In connection with the Dadeville mass shooting at a Sweet 16 birthday celebration last weekend, Alabama authorities reported on Wednesday that two teen brothers have now been detained and charged.
The teens from Tuskegee were arrested by Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).
Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, were both formally charged with four charges of reckless homicide a few days later, according to the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency. The brothers will be tried as adults.
“These individuals have been charged after a complex and thorough investigation was conducted with assistance from a multitude of law enforcement agencies,” the ALEA said in a statement. “The Dadeville Police Department, the Tuskegee Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office were all instrumental in assisting and supporting the investigation, along with locating and apprehending the suspects.”
Gunfire had broken out at a 16th birthday party for Alexis Dowdell at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio at 10:34 p.m. on Saturday in Dadeville, a small town of only 3,200 people in Tallapoosa County, about 62 miles northeast of the state capital of Montgomery. The dance studio was situated in the 200 Block of Broadnax Street.
The attack Saturday night left four people dead and at least 32 others hurt, including at least 15 teenagers who suffered gunshot wounds. The birthday girl’s brother, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, reportedly died in his sister’s arms.
The other three people killed were identified by police as 17-year-old Shaunkivia Smith, 19-year-old Marsiah Collins, and 23-year-old Corbin Holston.
ALEA Sergeant Jeremy J. Burkett shared that a motive has not yet been established amid the ongoing investigation.
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