Jacksonville State football commit Philstavious Dowdell among 4 killed in Alabama mass shooting
By Ryan Young
A Jacksonville State commit was killed in a mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama on Saturday night.
Philstavious Dowdell, a senior wide receiver and cornerback from Dadeville High School, was among four people killed in the mass shooting. He was 18.
“Our thoughts and prayers are with the family of Philstavious Dowdell and the other victims of the senseless tragedy last night,” Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez said in a statement. “He was a great young man with a bright future. My staff and I are heartbroken and hope that everyone will support his family through this difficult time.”
Jax State Football is heartbroken to have lost an upcoming member of our program.
Statement from Head Football Coach @RealCoachRod pic.twitter.com/3ta5nposOP
— Jax State Football (@JaxStateFB) April 16, 2023
Dowdell, who was named to the first-team all-state after the 2022 season, also won the 100-meter and 200-meter dashes at the Class 3A state track meet last spring. According to 247Sports, Dowdell ran a personal record 10.9 seconds in the 100-meter dash and helped the football team to a 10-1 record last season.
At least four people, including a Jacksonville State commit, were killed and 28 others were injured in a mass shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville, Alabama, on Saturday night. (Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
The shooting took place at a birthday party for Dowdell’s younger sister, per The New York Times. It took place at a dance studio in town. At least 28 people, including 15 teenagers, were injured in the shooting. Dowdell was one of four killed. It’s unclear what led to the shooting, or who allegedly opened fire.
Dadeville, a town of about 3,000, sits roughly an hour northeast of Montgomery and a half hour northwest of Auburn. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been 161 mass shootings in 2023 alone in the U.S.. Guns are the leading killer of children in the United States.
Gun violence has been a growing topic in the sports world in recent years as the problem in the United States grows. Longtime San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, one of the most outspoken coaches in all of sports, went on a nearly nine-minute plea for common sense gun laws before their final game last week. His speech came after a mass shooting at the Covenant School in Nashville, which was 31 mass shootings ago.
“But they’re going to cloak all this stuff [in] the myth of the Second Amendment, the freedom,” Popovich said. “You know, it’s just a myth. It’s a joke. It’s just a game they play. I mean, that’s freedom. Is it freedom for kids to go to school and try to socialize and try to learn and be scared to death that they might die that day?”
