of alabama have given details of the four people who were shot dead at birthday party at the weekend. they were aged between 17 and 23 and included two high school students. 0ur north america correspondent jessica parker has been speaking to the sister of one of the victims. a proud mum stands beside her son, a star athlete seen heading for university on a football scholarship, but 18 year old phil dowdell lost his life on saturday. we have spoken to his mother latonya and sister alexis whose sweet 16 it was. she says her big brother pushed her to the floor as the shooting began, saving her life. she then found him fatally injured. he wasn t breathing too much because he had already lost a lot of blood. so it was.they said that it was his body lying on the ground.
they said it was his body lying on the ground. my mum started crying and that is when i ran in there and grabbed him. i was holding him in my arm. police investigating the attack at this dance studio have given no details about suspects or a possible motive. latonya and alexis say they don t know what happened either. everybodyjust rushed out. you don t know if it was more than one person but you think it was? i think it had to be more than one person. tell us about phil. it is like a piece of my heart has been ripped out. i know he loved us. he know i loved him. he was supposed to graduate next may. instead of going to graduation, i will be going to the cemetery to see my son. phil s mother says more must be done to tackle gun violence, to stop tragedies like this. a young man dying at his own sister s birthday. jessica parker, bbc news, dadeville, alabama.
and so there was like. i said, that s my brother lying right there. they said that was his body laying on the ground. and that s when my momma started crying, and then that s when i ran in there and i had grabbed him and i was holding him in my arm. and then i was trying to see where he was shot, but i couldn t see because he was so bloody. four young lives were lost in the shooting at this dance hall. police have said little of who the suspects may be or a motive. the fbi is appealing for information. latonya and alexis say they ve no idea what happened or why. but in a country where mass shootings are on the rise, they do have this message. put down the gun. stop the violence. you don t take a gun everywhere you go. because they was there, we were celebrating my daughter s sweet 16. no one there at that
police have said little of who the suspects may be or a motive. the fbi is appealing for information. latonya and alexis say they ve no idea what happened or why. but in a country where mass shootings are on the rise, they do have this message. put down the gun. stop the violence. you don t take a gun everywhere you go. because they was there, we were celebrating my daughter s sweet 16. no one there at that age should have a gun. no way. so put down the gun. they re taking innocent people s lives. there are many questions about how and why phil dowdell lost his life. the community will want answers, although little sense perhaps can ever be made of a young man dying at his own sister s birthday. jessica parker, bbc news, dadeville, alabama. official figures on jobs and pay will be published by the office for national statistics this morning, and they re expected to show that wage inflation is coming down while unemployment remains low. that could mean less pressure
ville alabama, have still not named a suspect or revealed a possible motive after four young people were shot and killed last saturday night at a sweet 16 birthday party 32. others were injured. at least 15 of them were teenagers. this is 18 year old pistorius s dell dell. he was attending his own sister s birthday party when he was shot . his mother, latonya says that she was struck twice when shots rang out and when the venue turned the lights on after the shooting. she saw her son on the floor soaked in blood. the high school senior died just minutes later. listen to this. it was a nightmare. the nightmare i just just something a nightmare. i don t wish on any parent disclosed to go and see my baby laying down. you know, oil blue. cnn s isabelle rose alice has been following the story from dade ville, alabama and isabel.