Officials say four people were killed and numerous more were injured in an Alabama shooting.
The event is said to have occurred late Saturday evening during a teenager’s 16th birthday celebration in Dadeville, Tallapoosa County.
It was unclear whether a suspect was in custody.
Senior Trooper Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency reported the incident was “tied to a birthday party” shortly before 11 a.m. local time (5 p.m. BST).
“Four lives, not fatalities, but lives, were lost in this incident,” he added, adding that there were a “multitude of injuries.”
“We’re going to continue to work through this scene in a very methodical manner, to look at the facts and ensure that justice is served for the families.” “We’ll do it,” he added.
Students will receive counselling at school tomorrow, according to Superintendent Raymond Porter.
“We will make every effort to console those children, and we will not lose sight of the fact that they are the ones most affected by this situation,” he stated.
The next police update will be issued in two hours, at approximately 1pm local time (7pm BST).
Taking place ‘in a dance studio’
According to WRBL-TV, the incident occurred at a dance class, with photographs of crime scene tape around the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance class and nearby buildings, as well as a large police presence.
Pastor Ben Hayes, chaplain for the Dadeville Police Department and the local high school football team, said the majority of the injured are teenagers because the shooting occurred at a birthday celebration.
He described one of the victims as a “great guy” and said the shooting shook the little village where major violence is uncommon.
“I knew many of these students,” he explained. “Dadeville is a small town, and this will affect everyone in the area.”
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency stated that the incident occurred about 10.30 p.m. and provided no information on a probable motive.
The FBI, ATF, and the Fifth Circuit District Attorney’s Office had also come to the scene and were aiding with the investigation.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said in a statement.
“Violent crime has no place in our state, and law enforcement is keeping us updated as new information becomes available.”
Where was the shooting held?
Dadeville is a small town of approximately 3,000 inhabitants located 45 miles northeast of Montgomery, Alabama.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 162 mass shootings in the United States this year.
The Dadeville shooting came only weeks after two high-profile mass shootings in neighbouring Tennessee and Kentucky, prompting local authorities to demand for stricter gun control measures last week.
On Monday, a bank employee in Louisville, Kentucky, shot five colleagues dead and injured nine others.
A former pupil killed three nine-year-olds and three staff members at a private Christian school in Nashville, Tennessee, on March 27.
