A young football star, Phil Dowdell has been named as one of the victims in a mass shooting at a teenager’s birthday party in Alabama at the weekend.
The teenager is believed to be his sister.
At least four people were killed at the party in the small city of Dadeville on Saturday, and 28 more were injured, some critically.
Police have not said whether a suspect is in custody.
The city’s local pastor told the BBC the gunman was still at large and urged him to turn himself in.
Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, the first victim to be named, was attending his sister Alexis’ 16th birthday at a dance studio in the centre of the town.
He was due to graduate from the local high school to go to Jacksonville State University on an American football scholarship.
His mother is also reported to have been injured in the incident.
His grandmother, Annette Allen, told the Montgomery Advertiser local newspaper: “He was a very, very humble child. Never messed with anybody. Always had a smile on his face.”
His sports coach at the local high school, Roger McDonald, described him as an outstanding young man.
“Everybody loved Phil. He always had a smile on his face. He always spoke to everyone. He was the ideal kid that you want to coach. He wasn’t just a great athlete. He was a great kid,” he told the paper.
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