Authorities in Alabama have announced a new arrest in the Saturday night shooting that left four people dead.
The fourth suspect has been identified as Johnny Letron Brown, 20, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA) said in a statement on Thursday. It comes just a day after investigators announced the arrest of Wilson LaMar Hill Jr, 20, and brothers Ty Reik McCullough, 17, and Travis McCullough, 16, in connection with the 15 April shooting.
All suspects have been booked into the Tallapoosa County Jail. They are facing four counts of reckless murder, but more charges are expected to come as at least 32 other people were injured during the violence, Tallapoosa County District Attorney Mark Segrest said on Wednesday.
Mr Bown and Mr LaMar were taken into custody on Wednesday and Thursday, respectively, while the teen suspects were arrested on Tuesday. They are expected to have a bond hearing before Friday, and prosecutors have announced plans to ask a judge to hold them without bail.
The developments follow an investigation by the Dadeville Police Department, the ALEA, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), and the FBI. ALEA Sgt Jeremy Burkett said during a press conference on Wednesday that a motive for the shooting has been determined, but details will not be shared with the public at this time.
“Please understand, with the violence that went on and the magnitude of what happened, we are absolutely still in the early stages of the investigation,” Sgt Burkett said. “This is the beginning, this is not the end. There is a tremendous amount of work that is yet to be done.”
It is unclear how many suspects are being sought in the investigation. The developments on Wednesday followed three days of speculation as officials refused to provide any updates or hold press conferences before finally announcing the arrests.
Authorities have asked anyone who has video or photos of the moments leading up to the violence to submit that evidence here.
