MONTGOMERY, Ala. — A district judge issued an order Wednesday in favor of the state’s request to deny bail for five of the six suspects in connection to the deadly mass shooting at a Sweet 16 party in Alabama earlier this month.
The five suspects who had been denied bond were Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17; Travis McCullough, 16; Wilson LaMar Hill Jr., 20; Johnny Letron Brown, 20; and Willie George Brown Jr., 19. The sixth suspect, an unnamed 15-year-old, was also denied bail at a separate hearing, WSFA 12 reported.
All six are being charged with four counts of reckless murder.
Tallapoosa County District Judge Clayton Taylor’s decision follows the first courtroom appearances of five of the named suspects during a Tuesday bond hearing where a state investigator described the bloody aftermath of the shooting.
Four people, including three teens, were killed and 32 injured, some of them critically, after gunfire erupted on the night of April 15 at a small and dimly lit dance studio that was packed with more than 50 partygoers.
Alexis Dowdell, who said she had planned her Sweet 16 party for months, lost her brother, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18, in the shooting. The other victims were identified as Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19; Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23; and Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17.
7 GUNS, 89 SHELLS RECOVERED AND ‘BLOOD EVERYWHERE’: Alabama shooting investigator testifies at hearing
What happened at the party?
The birthday party began with “everybody dancing, vibing to the music,” Alexis Dowdell said.
The event had briefly stopped when partygoers with guns were asked to leave but no one did, the party’s DJ, Keenan Cooper, told WBMA-TV. According to State Bureau of Investigations lead agent Jesse Thornton, several young men had shown they had guns or pulled up their shirts showing guns on their person.
Authorities said that soon after, around 10:30 p.m., gunfire erupted as people tried to hide under tables or run outside for safety.
The suspects were together in a rear corner of the room when the shooting began, Thornton said. Four bodies were found “…laid together, side by side,” near the front door, he added.
Investigators recovered seven handguns, two of which had been illegally altered to fire automatically. At least 89 empty shell casings were also found at the scene.
Thornton said five suspects allegedly admitted to investigators being at the party and firing. Willie Brown Jr. did not admit to firing a weapon, Thornton said, but his co-defendants said he did.
‘VERY, VERY HUMBLE CHILD’: Alabama shooting victims, in their late teens and early 20s, identified
Contributing: Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser