Four dead and 28 injured in Alabama 16th birthday shooting

We're still speaking to people who attended the vigil in the centre of Dadeville.

One 17-year-old tells us he was best friends with one of those reported to have been killed, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a star athlete.

They played together on the high school football team, where Phil was the wide receiver.

“Phil to me was an amazing friend,” the 17-year-old says. “God’s got an angel.”

We've heard from the mayor of Dadeville, Jimmy Goodman, who has said the mass shooting is unlike anything he has experienced in his 73 years as a resident.

"We are a quiet little city. We are trying to bring businesses in, we're trying to improve the life of all the citizens," he says.

"We are a community that, so to speak, we pray together and we live together.

"It's amazing how when something happen like this how the community comes together.

Quote Message: It will be weeks, maybe even months down the road, before we can recover or half recover, but this is something that has taken a toll on all of us." from Jimmy Goodman, Dadeville mayor

It will be weeks, maybe even months down the road, before we can recover or half recover, but this is something that has taken a toll on all of us."

BBCCopyright: BBC

Shondra tells us her cousin was at the 16th birthday party last night.

“They were being free, they were celebrating a life,” she says. The community is in shock.

“You never think it’s going to happen in your area.”

She says they now have to figure out where to go from here.

“How do we stop this?”

We've arrived in Dadeville, Alabama.

We’re at the local parking lot where a vigil has been taking place. There are teenagers visibly shaking and crying from the shock of what happened last night.

Many are sharing hugs and tears as they try to comfort one another.

We’re told by the local pastor that there’ll be mental health support for students and young people here tomorrow.

One of the pieces of new information announced at the news conference about an hour ago was the number of those injured in Saturday night's shooting.

Twenty-eight people suffered injuries in the shooting, police said, ranging from minor wounds to those in critical condition.

But officials did not provide the ages of those injured. So what do we know about this?

We know the birthday party where the shooting happened was a sweet 16 - a coming-of-age celebration that involves groups of friends of a similar age.

We have also seen reports in local media that one of those killed was about to graduate high school, which tends to happen at age 18 in the US.

A local pastor told CNN that teachers from the local high school were at a hospital overnight comforting relatives.

Despite a lack of official confirmation, all of this is why some media outlets are saying most of those injured are teenagers.

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

We’re a team of three heading to Dadeville - myself, my producer Bex and our cameraman, Ron.

In the car we’re constantly monitoring, as best we can, the latest information on the shooting.

What’s striking right now - and unusual - is how little we know about a possible suspect.

Next to no details have emerged about how the shooting was brought to an end, or whether a suspect has themselves died or is in custody.

There are local media reports that authorities believe there’s no ongoing threat to the community, but it isn’t exactly clear what that means.

We’ll try to find out more when we arrive in the town shortly.

We reported earlier that one of the people that died in the shooting had been named by local media as Phil Dowdell, a star high school athlete.

Phil had been accepted to Jacksonville State University on an American football scholarship.

The university's football coach, Rich Rodriguez, has said he and his staff are "heartbroken" by the news of Phil's death.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of the senseless tragedy last night," Rodriguez says in a statement.

"He was a great young man with a bright future. My staff and I are heartbroken and hope that everyone will support his family through this difficult time."

We’re on the road to Dadeville - it’s a rural city in the southern state of Alabama, so travelling from the BBC’s base in Washington DC takes many hours.

There’s a lot we don’t know about what happened on Saturday night, and why. Details have been sparse.

But once we’re there, we’ll find out more information and get the facts on the ground.

Who are the victims? Where is the suspect? What exactly unfolded during this terrible incident?

Going into a community that’s suffered a tragedy of this nature means, of course, you have to be sensitive.

But it’s our job to report the facts and try to understand why, again, we’re talking about a mass shooting in the US.

We’ll also seek to assess how the attack may impact America’s ongoing and divisive debate about gun control.

It was a brief update from officials in the city of Dadeville. This is what we learned:

• Four people were killed in last night's mass shooting - there have been no further fatalities
• Twenty-eight people have been injured, with some of these in critical condition
• The injuries range from those requiring simple treatment to intensive care, police say
• There was no update on the police investigation or about any arrests

Quote Message: We're not going to rush, we're not going to rush to failure. We're going to do exactly what we need to do to ensure justice is brought to bear for those families. from Sergeant Jeremy Burkett

We're not going to rush, we're not going to rush to failure. We're going to do exactly what we need to do to ensure justice is brought to bear for those families.

Police are appealing to the public to share any information, however minor it may seem, about Saturday night's shooting, Sergeant Burkett says.

There is a phone number and a website for those who know anything about what happened.

And Central Alabama Crimestoppers has offered a reward for information, Burkett says.

"Today has been a tough day," Mike Segrest, district attorney, tells the news conference. He says his office is determined "to serve the victims".

He outlines information including a victims' compensation fund. He says his office is being supported by others from the FBI and state.

"There are no words to describe the emotions we are all feeling."

We're set to hear from local officials at a news conference in Dadeville soon.

As we've reported, it has been slightly unusual to go so long without updates from authorities and there is lots we do not yet know about Saturday night's shooting.

We'll bring you the latest as it happens.

A vigil is being held near the scene of Saturday night's mass shooting at a sweet 16 birthday party in Alabama.

The community of the city of Dadeville is still coming to terms with the incident.

Ben Hayes, a senior pastor of First Baptist Church in Dadeville, told CNN: "We are going to pull through it well, we have a vigil soon, the community is coming together.

"We're going to sing, we're going to pray, and we're going to pray for these young people."

He adds that "nothing is going to change until we see hearts changed".

ReutersCopyright: Reuters

Every recent mass shooting in America has been followed by an increasingly familiar political drama: Democrats call for new gun-control measures, such as a ban on assault-style weapons, and point out how the US is alone among industrialised nations in its high levels of gun violence.

Republicans counter that the right to possess firearms is enshrined in the US Constitution and that new gun-control legislation would be counterproductive.

Then, because of the nature of US government, little changes on a national level.

You can read more about some of those obstacles here.

US President Joe Biden has described a shooting at a 16th birthday party in Alabama as outrageous and unacceptable. He has once again called for assault weapons and ammunition to be banned.

Teenagers were among the four victims, but police haven’t given any details about the suspect or a possible motive.

One victim has been named by local media as Phil Dowdell, a star high school athlete.

At a news conference, senior trooper Jeremy Burkett expressed sympathy for the victims’ relatives - but warned that the investigation wasn’t likely to be quick:

Quote Message: There were four lives, not fatalities, lives tragically lost in this incident. This is gonna be a long, complicated process but we’re gonna work in a methodical way to go through this scene, to look at the facts and ensure that justice is brought to bear for the families." from Senior Trooper Jeremy Burkett

There were four lives, not fatalities, lives tragically lost in this incident. This is gonna be a long, complicated process but we’re gonna work in a methodical way to go through this scene, to look at the facts and ensure that justice is brought to bear for the families."

It takes the US to a grim milestone of more than 140 mass shootings in the country so far this year.

The Republican governor of Alabama, Kay Ivey, also released a statement, saying violence had no place in the state.

She is a strong supporter of second amendment rights and last year signed a law which ended the requirement to obtain a permit to carry a concealed handgun in public.

As we've been reporting, this mass shooting has fallen on the same weekend as the National Rifle Association's (NRA) annual meeting in Indianapolis, with former US President Donald Trump as one of the speakers.

But what exactly is the NRA?

Founded in 1871 as a recreational group designed to "promote and encourage rifle shooting", the NRA has grown into one of the most powerful political organisations in the US.

It lobbies heavily against all forms of gun control and argues aggressively that more guns make the country safer.

It relies on, and staunchly defends, a disputed interpretation of the Second Amendment to the US Constitution, which it argues gives US citizens the rights to bear arms.

It directly funds US politicians who support its aims - including many Alabama lawmakers.

You can read more about the NRA and its influence in the US here.

Getty ImagesCopyright: Getty Images

Governor Kay Ivey's message of condolence has received some criticism on social media - with many highlighting her pro-gun stance. Some have responded to her tweet by calling for further gun control legislation to be passed.

The governor is a strong supporter of second amendment rights - the right to keep and bear arms. Last year, she signed legislation allowing people in Alabama to carry a concealed handgun in public without a state permit.

An advert in support of the law posted last year showed the governor sitting at her desk at the Alabama Capitol and pulling a small handgun out of her purse, along with a lipstick and cell phone.

Just earlier this week, Ivey also signed into law the Alabama Second Amendment Protection Act, furthering Alabama's pro-gun laws.

Her candidacy for last year's governor election was endorsed by the National Rifle Association (NRA) - the powerful pro-gun advocacy group.