Alabama authorities made a fourth arrest Thursday in connection to a mass shooting during a Sweet 16 party in the sleep town of Dadeville that left four dead and 32 injured.
Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, was arrested by Special Agents of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation Thursday and formally charged with four counts of reckless murder. The announcement comes after Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn, was arrested by special agents at approximately 2:30 p.m. Wednesday.
At a press conference earlier Wednesday, ALEA announced that two brothers, Tyreese "Ty Reik" McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, had been arrested at approximately 8 p.m. Tuesday.
All individuals arrested in connection to the death investigation have been charged with four counts of reckless murder, and they have been booked into the Tallapoosa County Jail with no bond, the ALEA said in its latest statement Thursday.
"The Dadeville Police Department, Tuskegee Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service and the 5th Circuit District Attorney’s Office were all instrumental in assisting and supporting the investigation, along with locating and apprehending the suspects. Nothing further is available as the investigation is ongoing," the press release added.
District Attorney Mike Segrest previously shared with reporters the heartbreaking account of how the birthday girl, Alexis Dowdell, held her brother as he took his last breath after gunfire erupted at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio Saturday night.
Philstavious "Phil" Dowdell, a star wide receiver with plans to play college football at Jacksonville State this fall, was killed, as were fellow Dadeville High senior Shaunkivia Nicole "KeKe" Smith, 17, an athlete-turned-team manager; 2022 Opelika High School graduate Marsiah Emmanuel "Siah" Collins, 19, an aspiring singer who planned to start college this fall; and 2018 Dadeville High graduate Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, another former athlete at the school.
"It was Lexi’s 16th birthday party. A Sweet 16. There’s an uncut cake and unburnt 16 candles that never got lit. Lexi’s brother is one of the victims," Segrest said Wednesday.
"On her 16th birthday party, she kneeled by her brother as he took his last breath. That’s what we’re dealing with. The message that I want to send is I know some of these victims personally. Some of these kids are kids of friends of mine, people that I went to school with, people that I played ball with and against in the community back in high school. And these are my kids."
"These are our kids. Don’t mess with our kids. Do not mess with our kids," the district attorney added.
Authorities have not disclosed a potential motive for the bloodshed and have remained tight-lipped on the case so far.
As of Wednesday, officials said four of the surviving victims remained hospitalized in critical condition.
