Dadeville shooting
Six months later, Dadeville and Camp Hill still struggling to recover from twin tragedies
In the past, Martin Collins celebrated his son Marsiah’s birthday on Sept. 21 with ice cream and friends telling stories about him. Now Martin Collins often thinks about the birthdays his son will miss. In April, Collins was one of four young people killed in a mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville. […]
Camp Hill still needs help months after storm
Camp Hill is still on the mend months after a hailstorm devastated the area, but dozens of residents are at risk of losing their homes without intervention. The town is recovering in steps but people in the town are still at risk of losing things, whether that’s through high-interest loans or storm damage. Warren Tidwell, […]
DA: Five people indicted on murder, assault charges in Dadeville mass shooting
Five people arrested in connection with the mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville last month have been indicted on murder and assault charges. The Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney Office said in a release Wednesday afternoon that Willie Brown, 20; Johnny Brown, 19; Wilson Hill, 19; an unidentified juvenile, 16 and an […]
‘A ghost town’: Camp Hill reeling after devastating storm, mass shooting
Everyone in Camp Hill remembers the night the hail fell. Rosalie Bundy remembers the sound of rocks hitting her house. She was in bed on the night of March 26 when she heard the banging all over her house. She wasn’t sure what was going on. The only thing outside her house was her rocking chair. […]
Investigator: Guns drawn at Dadeville party after speaker fell to floor
An Alabama Law Enforcement Agency investigator said Tuesday the mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Dadeville on April 15 took place after attendees pulled out guns after a speaker crashed to the floor. Special agent Jess Thornton, speaking at a hearing for three of the six suspects, testified that the loud and sudden […]
15-year-old arrested in connection with Dadeville shooting
Law enforcement Thursday arrested and charged a 15-year-old in connection with the fatal shooting in Dadeville that killed four people and left 32 injured. The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Thursday the teenager, from Tuskegee, was arrested at 11:45 a.m. The agency did not release a name. The four dead were Marsiah Collins, 19; Philstavious “Phil” […]
Dadeville shooting victim Phil Dowdell was ‘all that was right with the world’
Camp Hill is a town of only roughly 1,000 people, but hundreds of people gathered at Mt. Lovely Baptist Church Thursday night to honor Philstavious Dowdell’s life. “He represented all that was right with the world,” Messiah Williams-Cole, the town’s mayor, said. Dowdell, 18, was one of four people killed in a mass shooting at […]
5th person arrested in connection with mass shooting in Dadeville
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said Thursday they had made two more arrests in the mass shooting in Dadeville Saturday night. Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee was arrested Thursday and charged with four counts of “reckless murder,” according to ALEA. Willie George Brown Jr., 19, of Auburn, was also arrested Thursday and charged with […]
‘She was a jewel:’ Dadeville victim KeKe Smith planned to study nursing at UAB
Shaunkiva “KeKe” Smith, 17, played sports and was looking forward to going to college. She was going to attend the University of Alabama in Birmingham in the fall to be a nurse. “She was just a great kid,” said her grandfather, Clifford Toney, in a phone interview Wednesday afternoon. Smith was one of at least […]
3 people charged in connection with Dadeville shooting that killed 4, injured 32
DADEVILLE — Three people, including two teenagers, have been arrested in connection with the mass shooting in Dadeville Saturday night that left at least four people dead and 32 injured. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency spokesman Jeremy Burkett said at a press conference Wednesday morning that Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both […]
‘Somebody killed my son:’ Grief persists with few answers after Saturday shooting
Marsiah Collins loved traveling and making music. His father, Martin Collins, remembered when they drove to Chicago together and stayed in a Hilton Hotel on the Magnificent Mile. Collins said that they only stayed at “five star or better.” “He used to say, ‘Daddy, five star or better for us, ain’t it?,’” he said. Collins, […]
It’s the guns
It’s the guns. They’re the constituents our elected officials value the most. To most of our lawmakers, guns need careful handling. Not because they’re instruments of death, but because they’re holy and blameless chalices of liberty. If someone uses a gun as it’s designed, the excuses begin. What we need is more Jesus. Alabama has some […]