People who live in and around Dadeville stood outside a throng of TV cameras on the lawn of the Tallapoosa County Courthouse Wednesday morning to hear news of arrests in Saturday night’s shooting that happened one block away and left four young people dead and 32 injured.

After the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency announced that two suspects had been charged with four counts of reckless murder — brothers Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16 – people lingered on the courthouse lawn, talking to each other and to reporters.

News of the arrests did not immediately soften the anger of Frederick Morgan, a pressure washer and painter from nearby Camp Hill.

“If they bring the electric chair back that will stop all this gunfire,” Morgan said. “All these children toting these guns. That will stop it.”

“I’m really pissed,” Morgan said. “Because it’s sad. They are allowing these children to walk around here toting guns. They need to get the ones who are putting these guns in these children’s hands. They need to go at them. These children can’t get these guns until they go to a place and buy these guns. They need to bring a law to stop kids from buying a gun. A kid needs to be 25 or 30 years old, know the law, and know what a gun means. These were children. Children killing children. We don’t need that. This is a little small community. We don’t need that.”

Authorities said the investigation continues and repeated their requests for anyone with knowledge of what happened, especially anyone who was at the Sweet 16 birthday party where the shooting erupted, to come forward.

“Everybody wants answers but it’s going to take time,” Dadeville resident Tony Coker said after the news conference. “If there’s any more involved, I just hope they get them.”

Coker, wearing a Dadeville Tigers shirt, was with his son, Anthony Coker, 15, a track and football teammate and friend of one of the victims who died, Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell. Anthony runs relays and throws the javelin for the track team. Coker said the track team had a meet in Troy one day before the tragedy, which erupted at the Sweet 16 birthday party of Dowdell’s sister, Alexis Dowdell, who said her brother died protecting her. Coker said his son was invited to the party but did not go.

“Never said anything to me about it,” Coker said. “I know if he had I would have probably just dropped him off and never would have thought anything about it. I just praise the Lord that he wasn’t there.”

Coker, a lifelong resident of Dadeville and 1976 graduate of Dadeville High, said there was expectation in the community that arrests would be announced.

“I was hoping they were going to tell us something like that,” Coker said “We got word that they were around town yesterday, the SWAT team, armored vehicles and stuff so we knew something was up. And we found out today that’s what it was. So that’s great.”

Kent Pulliam, who was also at the courthouse this morning, said his 14-year-old granddaughter was at the party. Pulliam said he talked to her on Monday.

“I guess she just got lucky because she was in the bathroom about five seconds before it started,” Pulliam said. “She stayed in there until the last bullet was fired.”

Asked for his response to the announcement of the arrests, Pulliam said, “I’m glad to hear the news because my 14-year-old granddaughter could have died.”

Besides Dowdell, the others who died were Shaunkivia Nicole “Keke” Smith, 17, Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23.