Around 20 people including children were shot at during a birthday party on Saturday night in Dadeville, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.
WRBL-TV reported the shooting occurred at a dance studio during a possible birthday party for a teenager. The state Law Enforcement Agency released little information about the shooting.
"There were four lives tragically lost in this incident and there's been a multitude of injuries," Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said during a news conference Sunday morning. The station showed images of crime scene tape around the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio and neighboring buildings and a heavy police presence.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said the shooting happened at about 10:30 p.m. There was no initial confirmation about what led to the shooting and it was not immediately known if a suspect was in custody.
“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge,” Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey said in a statement posted on social media.
The Tallapoosa County school system said counseling will be available for students at the schools Monday, the school superintendent, Raymond C. Porter, said. Meanwhile, President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting, the White House said, adding that it is closely monitoring the situation and has been in touch with local officials and law enforcement to offer support.
Dadeville, which has a population of about 3,200 people, is in east Alabama, about 57 miles (92 kilometers) northeast of Montgomery, Alabama.
(With inputs from AP)
