At least 89 rounds fired during deadly Sweet 16 shooting
DADEVILLE, Ala. — At least 89 rounds were fired during the deadly shootout that left four people dead at a girl's Sweet 16 party in Alabama, a witness testified on Tuesday.
Responding officers also found that one of the victims appeared to have a gun placed on his chest post-mortem, said Alabama Law Enforcement Agency Special Agent Jess Thornton.
The latest revelations came during the first courtroom appearances for five of the six suspects in the April 15 shooting in Dadeville.
Thornton's testimony came as a judge determines possible bail for suspects Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee, Willie George Brown Jr., 19, of Auburn, and LaMar Hill Jr., 20, of Auburn.
Police recovered 89 shell casings, fired from seven separate guns of four different calibers.
“I’ve never seen anything of this magnitude,” Thornton said.
Ballistic tests matched some of those spent rounds in Dadeville with casings found at a shooting later that night in Auburn, but Thornton didn't elaborate on that connection.
The party was filled with guests, about 50 to 60 of them in a space no more than 26-feet-by-38-feet, with only one set of doors, according to Thornton.
Five of the six defendants, all other than 19-year-old Brown, have told police they fired guns at the party, Thornton testified.
The four people killed were Shaunkivia Smith, 17; Marsiah Collins, 19; Corbin Holston, 23; and Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18.
Dowdell is the brother of Alexis Dowdell, whose 16th birthday was being celebrated when gunfire erupted at a dance studio on North Broadnax Street.
When police came to Holston's body, they found a gun on top of his chest, according to the witness.
“It was odd how the gun on Holston was put there," Thornton said. "It was almost like it was placed there."
Two weapons were recovered at the scene, the one on Holton's chest and the other, unfired, in Collins' waistband, the law enforcement agent said.
Two other suspects, Tuskegee brothers, Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, also appeared before the judge and their bail cases argued during a closed-door hearing later on Tuesday.
The judge did not immediately rule on bail for the five defendants on Tuesday, Fifth Judicial Circuit District Attorney Mike Segrest said.
And there's a sixth suspect, a 15-year-old who has not been publicly identified because of his age.
Prosecutors and police have yet to publicly declare what they believe might have motivated the shooters.
Jamie Morrison reported from Dadeville, and David K. Li from New York City.