Police tape is seen exterior the scene of a capturing within the metropolis of Dadeville, Ala., that left a minimum of 4 individuals lifeless and a number of others wounded.

Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

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Kyle Gassiott/Troy Public Radio

At least 4 individuals had been killed and a number of others had been wounded after a capturing at a celebration on Saturday evening within the metropolis of Dadeville, Ala.

The assault befell on the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio simply after 10:30 p.m. native time as individuals gathered for a Sweet 16 celebration. Heidi Smith, the advertising and marketing director of Ivy Creek Healthcare, which runs a hospital in Dadeville, mentioned the hospital handled a minimum of 15 gunshot victims.

Smith mentioned a minimum of 17 ambulances responded to the scene. Some victims had been handled and launched from the Lake Martin Community Hospital, whereas a number of further victims had been transferred to different hospitals — together with flown to a trauma heart in Birmingham, she added.

There had been “multiple injuries,” in accordance with a press release from the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which mentioned it had launched an investigation on the request of the Dadeville police chief.

Annette Allen mentioned that it was her granddaughter’s sixteenth celebration the place the assault occurred. Allen’s grandson, a highschool athlete, was killed by the gunfire, whereas her daughter was wounded and despatched to an space hospital.

“This is a small community and they just wanted to enjoy the birthday party,” Allen instructed NPR’s member station Troy Public Radio. “We had to be standing and waiting for bodies to brought out.”

Dadeville is a small metropolis with a inhabitants of roughly 3,000 individuals. It’s positioned about an hour’s drive from the state capital of Montgomery.

Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted on Sunday that she was grieving the occasions in Dadeville, however didn’t present additional element on what transpired.

“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge,” Ivey mentioned.

There have been 163 mass shootings within the U.S. thus far this yr, not together with the assault in Dadeville, in accordance with the impartial group Gun Violence Archive. The group defines a mass capturing as any occasion wherein there have been 4 or extra victims, excluding the shooter. The Saturday assault comes lower than every week after a gunman opened hearth at a financial institution in Louisville, Ky. killing 5 individuals and injuring 9 others.

NPR’s Amy Held contributed reporting.