Alabama soccer star headed to school on scholarship ID’d as amongst 4 lifeless in capturing at sister’s ‘Candy 16’ social gathering

A high-school soccer star set to graduate in a couple of weeks with a scholarship to play in faculty was killed during Alabama’s weekend mass shooting, which occurred at a “Candy 16” celebration for his little sister.

Phil Dowdell, who not too long ago dedicated to enjoying large receiver at Jacksonville State College, was considered one of 4 individuals slain on the celebration for his sibling Alexis, his stricken grandmother, Annette Allen, told the Montgomery Adviser.

“He was a really, very humble youngster. By no means messed with anyone. All the time had a smile on his face,” Allen stated.

Per week in the past, Dowdell posted on Facebook, “on a regular basis my life go up & up, it’s exhausting for me to get mad.”

The identical day, he shared snaps of himself and his senior-prom date, each of whom wore sparkly yellow outfits, with him in shorts and an identical jacket.

His sister up to date her Fb profile image Sunday morning to a photograph of her kissing her brother’s cheek.

Dowdell’s mom was among the many greater than 20 different individuals injured within the melee, sustaining two gunshot wounds, Allen stated.

The tragic teen, who had a “million-dollar smile,” was on the point of graduate earlier than heading off to Jacksonville State on a soccer scholarship, his grandma stated.

A number of youngsters have been amongst these shot when the gunfire broke out at about 10:30 p.m. on the Mohagany Masterpiece dance studio within the tiny city Dadeville about 60 miles east of the state capital of Montgomery.

Allen informed the newspaper that following the capturing, quite a lot of mother and father didn’t know the place their kids have been and needed to go from hospital to hospital to try to discover them.

A lot of the capturing’s victims have been teenagers, in response to Pastor Ben Hayes, who serves because the chaplain for the Dadeville Police Division and for the native highschool soccer crew.

“One of many younger males that was killed was considered one of our star athletes and only a nice man,” Hayes told The Associated Press. “So I knew many of those college students. Dadeville is a small city, and that is going to have an effect on all people on this space.” 

As many as 250 individuals gathered exterior an east Alabama hospital early Sunday to be taught the destiny of their family members who attended the celebration, Hayes told AL.com.

“It was a really unhappy, unhappy scene,” he stated. “A really tough evening.”

“This can be a good household in our group, good children,” Hayes informed the outlet. “Among the finest individuals heading this social gathering.”

In accordance with Hayes, the capturing occurred throughout some sort of argument, although police haven’t revealed any info relating to a suspect or shared what they imagine led to the violence.

A number of regulation enforcement businesses have been aiding the Dadeville Police Division, together with the Alabama Legislation Enforcement Company’s State Bureau of Investigation and the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Workplace.

Police plan to supply one other replace at 5 p.m. CDT Sunday.