A shooting occurred at a Sweet 16 birthday party at a dance studio in Dadeville, Alabama, leaving four people dead and several others injured. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed the deaths and injuries but did not say if a suspect had been caught. Witnesses said that many of the wounded were teenagers and were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Annette Allen, a grandmother of one of the victims, said that her grandson was celebrating his sister’s birthday when the shooting began. The State Bureau of Investigations, Dadeville police, and federal agencies such as the FBI are investigating the incident, but no further details have been released.
State leaders took to Twitter to express their condolences and denounce violence. Governor Kay Ivey said that violent crime has no place in their state and that they are keeping up with the updates from law enforcement. US Senator Tommy Tuberville called the shooting heartbreaking.
The United States has around 400 million guns for a population of approximately 330 million people, leading to frequent mass shootings. Despite recurring shootings, efforts to tighten gun control have been met with opposition from Republicans, who are defenders of the constitutional right to bear arms. On the same day as the Alabama shooting, two people were killed and four others injured in a shooting in a crowded park in Louisville, Kentucky.
