Dadeville victim Keke Smith’s family seeks help with funeral: ‘A mother should never have to bury her child’

Dadeville victim Keke Smith’s family seeks help with funeral: ‘A mother should never have to bury her child’

A crowdfunding campaign has been launched to help the mother of Dadeville shooting victim Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith.

“A mother should never have to bury her child,” said Jessie Ogletree, who organized the GoFundMe fundraiser for Smith’s mother and called Smith, 17, “a beautiful teenager with her whole life ahead of her.”

Smith was one of four people killed Saturday when gunfire erupted at a Sweet 16 birthday party at the private event venue Mahogany’s Masterpiece in Dadeville. Additionally, 32 people were injured.

Ogletree said her son and Smith’s younger brother are on the same baseball team and that the funds raised would be sent to Smith’s mother, Miranda Turner.

“Please consider donating any amount you can to help this young lady’s family [for] any financial burdens they will encounter,” Ogletree said.

She set a $5,000 goal for the fundraiser. As of Monday evening, $600 has been raised.

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Also killed in Saturday’s shooting were Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, a Dadeville High School football player who died protecting his sister at her Sweet 16 party; Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23; and Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19.

The Alexander City Outlook reported Smith was manager of the basketball and track and field teams. She played volleyball and softball until her junior year when a knee injury sidelined her.

Coach Michael Taylor told the paper Smith “was full of love.”

“Just like Phil, she was very very humble and she had this huge smile like Phil had,” he said. “She would joke around all the time, and she got onto all of us — even me. She was just full of life.”