Two teenage brothers have been arrested in connection to the Alabama mass shooting that left four people dead, and 32 others injured at a Sweet 16 birthday party.
On Tuesday (April 18), brothers Travis McCullough, 16, and Ty Reik McCullough, 17, were arrested on charges of reckless murder, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Sgt. Jeremy Burkett said in a statement, per NBC News. The teenagers have been charged as adults.
The shooting unfolded Saturday (April 15) at a dance studio in the small town of Dadeville, Alabama as friends and family gathered to celebrate the birthday of 16-year-old Alexis Dowdell.
Four people — Shaunkivia Smith, 17; Marsiah Collins, 19; Corbin Holston, 23; and Philstavious Dowdell, 18 — were killed in Saturday's shooting. An additional four shooting victims are still in the hospital where they were said to be in critical condition as of Wednesday (April 19).
The motive behind the shooting remains unknown. The attack occurred roughly an hour after someone with a gun was barred from the Sweet 16, said party DJ Keenan Cooper.
Police said they're still in the early stages of their investigation and are in need of help from the public.
“If you were at the venue that night — so you were physically at the venue — if you have not come forward, meaning you have not contacted law enforcement, please hear me, I absolutely want you to do that,” Burkett said. “We need you to come forward for the families, for these victims."
Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest reflected on the tragic incident, which left the birthday girl's brother dead.
“There’s an uncut cake and unburnt 16 candles that never got lit," Segrest said. "Lexi’s brother was one of the victims. On her 16th birthday party, she knelt by her brother as he took his last breath. That’s what we're dealing with."
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