At a party in Alabama where four people were fatally shot, the birthday girl was saved by her sibling. He died later in her arms.
Alexis Dowdell was celebrating her 16th birthday at a dance studio in rural Dadeville when her 18-year-old brother Phil Dowdell arrived to pick her up after learning that a gun was present at the party.
LaTonya Allen, her mother, had also heard the rumors. She stated that she turned on the party’s lights, went to the DJ booth, and asked anyone with a weapon to exit.
However, when no one spoke up, she turned off the lights.
The gunfire broke out shortly thereafter. Alexis said, “All of a sudden you hear gunshots and you see everyone running towards the door and people screaming.”
She stated that her brother Phil shoved her to the ground before the two became separated in the pandemonium.
She was able to flee the venue and seek refuge outside until assistance arrived. Alexis stated that she hid behind another structure if the assailant was still at large.
When she eventually returned inside, she found her brother shot.
He had lost considerable blood. She remained with him as he fluctuated between states of consciousness. As she held him in her arms, he opened his eyes and raised his eyebrows but was unable to speak.
“The last thing I told him was to stay strong,” she stated.
She continued by saying that her birthday would never be the same.
Saturday night’s attack at the party in Dadeville, a small, close-knit town of roughly 3,000, left 32 others injured.
Police have not yet identified a suspect or a motive and have appealed to the public for information. Alexis and her mother stated that they were unaware of the cause of the gunshot.
Jimmy Frank Goodman Sr., the mayor of Dadeville, told that the hospital scene following the murder was more chaotic than anything he had witnessed during his service in the Vietnam War.
“People were crying, bodies were being transported to the emergency room, and bloodstained clothing was on the ground,” he stated.
Phil Dowdell, the eldest of three siblings, was remembered by his community as a star athlete and a loyal companion. He had been awarded an athletics scholarship to Jacksonville State University.
Alexis remarked that she relished watching her brother play football and laughing with him. Whenever the two of them argued, he would always open the door for others and enter her room to apologize, she said.
Ms. Allen stated that her son “in every way” made her proud.
A piece of my heart is ripped out,” she declared. “He was expected to graduate the following month. Instead of attending graduation, I will visit my son at the cemetery.
Also slain were Shaunkivia Smith, 17, Marsiah Collins, 19, and Corbin Holston, 23.
Relatives and acquaintances of Ms. Smith reported that she was about to graduate high school.
Mr. Collins played varsity football and aspired to become an attorney. Mr. Holston attended the gathering to check on a family member after learning that trouble was brewing, according to his family.
Outside Dadeville High School, the flags have been lowered to half-staff. On Sunday, a vigil was conducted for all four victims. There were hundreds of attendees, some of whom were injured in the assault.
Casey Davis, an assistant superintendent at the local board of education, stated that the community would have access to clergy and bereavement counselors.
More than 160 mass shootings have occurred in the United States this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which defines mass shootings as incidents in which four or more persons are shot.
