Rising athlete Phil Dowdell has been identified as one of the victims of a weekend mass shooting at a teen’s birthday party in Alabama.
On Saturday, at least four individuals between the ages of 17 and 23 were murdered at a party in the small city of Dadeville.
Authorities reported that 28 others were injured, some critically. The police have not disclosed whether or not a suspect is in custody.
The pastor of the city told the BBC that the gunman was still at large and implored him to surrender.
Local media reported that on Monday, the flags in front of Dadeville High School flew at half-staff in honor of the four victims murdered on Sunday: 18-year-old Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 17-year-old Keke Nicole Smith, 19-year-old Emmanuel ‘Siah’ Collins, and 23-year-old Corbin Dahmontrey Holston.
Mr. Dowdell attended his sister Alexis’ 16th birthday celebration at a dance studio in the city center.
He was scheduled to graduate from the local secondary school and receive an American football scholarship to Jacksonville State University.
According to reports, his mother was also injured in the incident.
Annette Allen, his grandmother, told the Montgomery Advertiser that he was a very, very humble child. Never caused trouble for anyone. Always wear a cheerful expression.”
Roger McDonald, his high school sports instructor, described him as an exceptional young man.
Everyone adored Phil. He had a smile on his countenance at all times. He communicated with everyone. Phil was the kind of child you would want to nurture. He was not only an excellent athlete. “He was a wonderful child,” he told the newspaper.
Phil was the wide receiver for his high school football team, and one of his teammates told the BBC,
“Phil was an incredible companion. God’s got an emissary.”
Ms. Smith, according to her family and acquaintances, was a once-promising 17-year-old athlete who was about to graduate from the local high school.
Ben Hayes, senior minister of the First Baptist Church in Dadeville and chaplain of the school’s football team, knew many of the partygoers.
He reported to the BBC that he received a phone call over the weekend informing him that two students had been murdered and several others had been injured.
He then went to the local hospital. When he arrived, there were approximately 250 individuals waiting for news in the parking lot.
According to him, Dadeville, which has just over 3,000 residents, is a very close-knit community, so “this tragedy deeply affects us.”
Approximately fifty people were at the gathering when “someone from outside the community” opened fire, according to the witness. As his community required closure, he urged the perpetrator to surrender.
The mayor of Dadeville, Jimmy Frank Goodman Sr, told the BBC that he was asleep when he was notified of the incident. It was “like I was in a dream” when he arrived at the hospital, he said.
“It was complete chaos over there,” he stated. People were weeping, bodies were being transported to the emergency room, and there were bloody clothes on the ground.
He stated that the scenario was worse than anything he witnessed while serving in Vietnam.
“During my time in the Marine Corps, I witnessed and was required to do things that seem intolerable. “However, compared to this, Vietnam was a piece of cake,” he said.
He stated that he knew nothing about the suspect and had only heard “rumors.”
On Monday, a spokesperson for the local Lake Martin Community Hospital reported that the facility had treated fifteen adolescents who had all been wounded.
Six of the injured had been treated and released, they added. Five of the nine patients transferred to other facilities remained in critical condition.
In the aftermath of the shooting, hundreds of community members attended a vigil, including Taniya Cox, who was among those injured in the incident.
According to the Montgomery Advertiser, Ms. Cox attended the vigil in a hospital gown and with her right arm immobilized. She reported being shot twice in the arm at the Saturday celebration.
“The birthday girl’s mother told those with guns to leave, but they refused, and five minutes later the shooting began,” Ms. Cox explained.
The police have not commented on how the shooting ended or the status of their investigation, but they have urged the public to come forward with any information.
Casey Davis, an assistant superintendent for the local school board, informed the BBC that clergy and bereavement counselors would be available to the community.
When asked about the paucity of information thus far from the police, Mr. Davis responded,
“Let the investigations continue.”
Other residents who spoke with the BBC described the atmosphere in Dadeville as gloomy and stated that community members were coming together to support one another in the wake of the shooting.
This attack brings the total number of mass shootings in the United States this year to over 160, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as those in which four or more persons are shot.
After the incident, President Joe Biden reiterated his appeal for stricter gun laws. He described the murder as “outrageous and inexcusable” and added that Americans wanted lawmakers to act to prevent mass shootings, but Republicans were undermining gun safety laws.
Alabama is known for preserving the right of its citizens to possess firearms.
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