4 victims in Dadeville mass shooting identified
TALLAPOOSA COUNTY, Ala. (WSFA) - Public officials have identified the four victims in the Dadeville mass shooting.
According to Tallapoosa County Coroner Mike Knox, the victims have been identified as Philstavious Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill, Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23 and Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, 17, both of Dadeville and Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19, of Opelika. Dowdell was a star high school athlete and had recently committed to Jacksonville State to further his athletic career.
On Monday, a Lake Martin Community Hospital spokesperson updated the public on its role in the tragedy.
“As you all know, the city had a great tragedy over the weekend,” Heidi Smith, marketing director for the hospital, said.
Smith added that 15 patients came through the emergency room following the shooting. All the patients had gunshot wounds and all of them were teenagers.
NBC News reported that the party was being held for a cheerleader on campus, adding that the girl’s mother was wounded during the shooting.
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Due to inclement weather on Saturday night, Smith said some patient transfers were delayed.
“We have a helicopter pad, but we could not fly the helicopter due to inclement weather,” Smith said. “As soon as the weather kind of subsided, we were able to get most of those people transferred on out of those nine that transferred to other places.”
Of those patients that needed to be transferred, five were in critical condition and four were considered stable, Smith said. All nine patients were sent to other hospitals, including Baptist South in Montgomery, Children’s Hospital in Birmingham and Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta, Ga.
Smith added that Dadeville is a small community, and this tragedy has been extremely difficult.
“And I think just knowing that this could just have easily been one of your own children or your children’s friends, it’s so close to home,” Smith added.
Multiple law enforcement agencies are involved in the investigation, including the Dadeville Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), FBI and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office.
Central Alabama CrimeStoppers is offering a $5,000 reward for information that leads to the identification and arrest of the suspect(s) involved. They also ask anyone with video of this incident to share it with law enforcement. If you have any information, you can call (334)-215-STOP.
Anyone with tips on the crime is asked to call ALEA’s Crime Tip Line at 1-800-392-8011 or email SBI.Investigations@alea.gov.
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