Two teenage brothers have been charged with four counts of reckless murder in the Saturday night shooting at a Dadeville birthday party that killed four young people and injured 32 others.

Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, both of Tuskegee, have each been charged as adults with four counts of reckless murder.

The two were taken into custody abut 8 p.m. Tuesday.

Under Alabama law, the crime of reckless murder is committed when a person recklessly engages in conduct which creates a grave risk of death to a person other than himself or herself and causes the death of another person.

“There is a tremendous amount of work to do. We’re going to be careful with everything we say and everything we do. We’re going to stay focused on the victims and their families,” said Sgt. Jeremy Burkett of the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency.

Burkett said he could not disclose where the teens were arrested or where they are being held. Burkett would not say how many guns were fired or how many shots were fired.

He said investigators are not yet releasing a motive, nor saying how many shooters they believe were involved.

“Please understand with the violence that went on and the magnitude of what happened, we are absolutely still in the early stages of this investigation. This is not the end,” Burkett said. “There is a tremendous amount of work that is yet to be done. We’re going to continue to do exactly what we’ve been doing.”

“If you were at the venue that night and you have not come forward, please hear me. I absolutely want you to do that. We need you to come forward for these families. For these victims. Make no mistake. This is Alabama – when you pull out a gun and start shooting people, we’re going to put you in jail,” Burkett said.

“Somebody’s got to start thinking about mama. I know I’m tired of it and everybody behind me is tired of it. We’re tired of going to the mothers and having to tell them that these kids are not coming home,” Burkett added.

“I know there has been a frustration… about a lack of communication provided,” said District Attorney Mike Segrest.

The suspects will have an Aniah’s Law bond hearing within 72 hours, Segrest said. The case could then go to a grand jury.

“This is a very complex case,” Segrest said. More charges will be coming on behalf of the 32 injured victims, Segrest said.

The two teens will be tried as adults, Segrest said.

“There were so many kids in this venue and what they saw, they are victims in this … the ripple effect is like a wave going across Lake Martin,” Segrest said. “Services are available for them.”

Among the victims, Segrest said, is Alexis Dowdell, whose brother, Phil, died protecting her at her Sweet 16 party, Segrest said.

“We have one chance to get this right,” said Dadeville Police Chief Jonathan Floyd in explaining the methodical process of the investigation.

“Continue to lift us, continue to be patient … there is information you want, I’m not going to reveal,” Floyd said.

Burkett said they cannot discuss a possible motive.

The arrests were made Tuesday and the warrants signed around 8 p.m., Burkett said.

Killed in the shooting were Philstavious Dowdell, 18, Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17, Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23.

Another 32 people were injured, some of them critically, when gunfire erupted at approximately 10:34 p.m. Saturday at Mahogany’s Masterpiece dance studio on North Broadnax Street in downtown Dadeville, one block from the courthouse.

The party was for Dowdell’s sister, Alexis Dowdell, who said her brother died protecting her.

Dowdell said she dove to the floor near the DJ as the dozens of revelers ran. She “didn’t know where to run,” in part because shots seemed to come from multiple directions.

When there was a break in gunfire, she bolted for the front door. But someone pushed her. It was her brother, trying to protect her.

See also:

“I guess he tried to push me out the door as fast as he could, but I ended up slipping on blood, because it was a whole bunch of blood on the floor,” she said. she told The Associated Press. .

She tapped her brother’s face as he drifted in an out of consciousness, begging him to, “stay with me, stay with me.” She recalled: “I wasn’t crying at the moment because I was trying to be strong instead of panicking. And so I said, ‘You’re going to be all right. You’re a fighter, you’re strong.’”

Dowdell, a Dadeville football player, had recently committed to Jacksonville State University to play wide receiver.

Collins was a 19-year-old aspiring musician who was looking forward to attending LSU in the fall, where his father is also pursuing a law degree.

Collins’ father, Martin Collins, said his son, a former defensive end at Opelika High School, graduated in 2022 and took a year off to focus on his music career. Just last week, Martin made arrangements to have his son move in this fall with him.

“I don’t know what to say about this situation,” Collins said. “He messaged me on April 5 telling me he was ready to leave.”

Martin described his son as a quiet presence, but a “funny kid” who loved to laugh.

“He was a great big brother to his sisters,” he said. “He was a funny, charismatic kid who loved to light up a room. He had a lot of my mom’s personality. He could do that just being in a house.”

Smith, a senior at Dadeville High School, 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.

Amy Jackson, a relative, posted on Facebook: “Give us strength and understanding Mighty God. Praying for all loved ones that have lost their life or were injured. We love you Ke.”

Coach Michael Taylor told The Alexander City Outlook that 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.”

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

Holston did not attend the party but only went there to check on a younger family member who was concerned there might be trouble.

“Out of concern for other family members, Corbin responded to the party to ensure their safety but unfortunately encountered the suspects,’’ his mother, Janett Heard, told AL.com.

“Corbin was selfless when it came to his family and friends and always tried to be a protector,’’ Heard said. “That’s just the type of person he was.”

At least one younger relative of Holston was at the party and called him because there “was a serious concern,” said another family member who did not want to be identified.

Shortly after Holston arrived, the shooting started. “If not for the concern of the family member, he would not have been there,’’ the family member said.

The shooting is the latest among nine dozen mass shootings in Alabama since 2013, according to one group that tracks gun violence.

Gun violence is the leading cause of death among children in Alabama, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Dadeville is a town of about 3,000 in Tallapoosa County and its high school has about 485 students. Like the rest of Dadeville, the school is tucked away just out of view off a busy highway that runs from Birmingham to Auburn.

The town’s compact downtown is centered around a courthouse square with one- and two-story brick buildings and its busiest commercial district is a few blocks north of the square. Dadeville is close to Lake Martin, a popular recreational area.

Dadeville experienced a shooting in August 2016 where five people were injured at the American Legion Hall on East Columbus Street. A Goodwater man was arrested a few weeks later, according to WSFA.

This is a developing story and will be updated. The AP contributed to this report.