15-year-old arrested in Dadeville murders
Published 10:19 pm Thursday, April 20, 2023
Johnny Letron Brown
Travis McCullough
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A 15-year-old Tuskegee juvenile was arrested Thursday, as the sixth among suspects charged with four counts of reckless murder in connection with the Saturday mass shooting in Dadeville.
Special Agents with the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) arrested the as yet unnamed juvenile along with the fifth suspect, Willie George Brown, Jr., 19, of Auburn.
“A total of six arrests have now been made after a complex and thorough investigation was conducted with assistance from a multitude of law enforcement agencies following the shooting that occurred on April 15,” said ALEA Sergeant Jeremy Burkett.
The shooting took place during Alex Dowdell’s “sweet sixteen” party. Four persons were killed and 32 others injured. Four of the injured remain in critical condition.
Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, brothers Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, and Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn have been arrested and formally charged with four counts of reckless murder.
The shooting happened around 10:45 p.m. Saturday at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance study in Dadeville. Dowdell’s brother Philstavious Dowdell, 18, died from gunshot wounds he received during the shooting.
Authorities have identified the other victims killed that night as 23-year-old Corbin Dahmontrey Holston of Dadeville, 19-year-old Marsiah Emmanuel Collins of Opelika, and 17-year-old Dadeville resident Shaunkivia Nicole Smith.
Alabama law defines reckless murder as a murder under circumstances manifesting extreme indifference to human life, [when] he/she recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to a person other than himself/herself, and thereby causes the death of another person.
According to Burkett, all individuals arrested in connection to this death investigation were booked into the Tallapoosa County Jail with no bond with the exception of the 15-year-old.
“The Dadeville Police Department, Tuskegee Police Department, Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office, Macon County Sheriff’s Office, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the United States Marshals Service and the 5th
Circuit District Attorney’s Office were all instrumental in assisting and supporting the investigation, along with locating and apprehending the suspects,” Burkett said.
In a Wednesday morning press conference, Burkett urged the community to continue bringing information to officials. He assured the community that combined agencies would keep working to bring justice for the victims and their families.
The announcement makes the tenth release ALEA has sent out in relation to the murders. Burkett noted nothing further is available as the investigation is ongoing.
Burkett said videos and photos related to the incident may still be submitted online via the FBI’s website at: https://tips.fbi.gov/digitalmedia/29fa2c127a79963.
