A suspect in the April 15 Dadeville shooting that claimed the lives of four people and injured 25 pleaded not guilty and waived his right to an arraignment.
Willie Brown, 19, is one of six suspects charged in the Sweet 16 party killings.
Sherman Peters III, 16; Travis McCullough, who was 16 at the time of the shooting; Ty Reik McCullough, who was 17 at the time of the shooting; Wilson Hill, 20; and Johnny Brown, 21, are also charged.
They are all charged with four counts of reckless murder, 24 counts of first-degree assault and one count of second-degree assault.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) is investigating the shooting. Detectives believe during the party, a group of kids believed to have guns were asked to leave, but they refused. Although the exact sequence of events is unclear, a disagreement ensued and ended in a shooting.
The four killed were Shaunkivia Nicole Smith, 17, of Dadeville, Marsiah Emmanuel Collins, 19, of Opelika, Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23, of Dadeville, and Philstavious Dowdell, 18, of Camp Hill.
The party was for Dowdell's sister, and the ALEA confirmed Dowdell's mother, Latonya Allen, 37, was among those shot. Other shooting victims' ages ranged from 14 to 19.
A first responder dispatched to the "mass casualty event," Alicia Morgan, told 1819 News the scene was one of the worst things she had ever experienced.
"The magnitude was, I would say almost too much to comprehend," she said just days after the shooting. "I'm going to tell you that probably for about 20 seconds I felt totally helpless myself."
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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