A high school senior and honor student who planned to play college football was among four who died from gunshot wounds Saturday night at his younger sister’s 16th birthday party in Alabama.
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School senior who had committed to playing football at Jacksonville State University, was celebrating his younger sister’s birthday party in a downtown Dadeville dance studio when he was shot to death, his grandmother Annette Allen told The Montgomery Advertiser. Dadeville, a town located about 57 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama, has about 3,200 residents. (RELATED: Rep. Nancy Mace Accuses Her Own Party Of Being ‘Silent’ About Mass Shootings)
BREAKING – MORE VICTIMS CONFIRMED: Tragic news out of Dadeville, Alabama as a birthday party ends in a mass shooting leaving multiple children dead. At least six teenagers were found dead on the ground, according to witness photos. Officials have yet to release more details.… pic.twitter.com/b38BdwOyQI
— Simon Ateba (@simonateba) April 16, 2023
“He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face,” his grandmother, Annette Allen, told The Montgomery Advertiser.
Dowdell’s mother was also shot, but she is recovering.
Allen said that parents were confused and tried to find their children at various hospitals, The Montgomery Advertiser reported. “Everybody’s grieving,” she told the The Montgomery Advertiser.
Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the shooting occurred about 10:30 p.m.
“There were four lives tragically lost in this incident, and there’s been a multitude of injuries,” Burkett said during a news conference Sunday.