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A fifth person has been arrested and charged in connection with a shooting at a 16th birthday party that killed four young people.

It comes just hours after a fourth person was charged over the deaths in the small east Alabama city of Dadeville on 15 April.

The two men – Willie George Brown Jr, 19, of Auburn, and Johnny Letron Brown, 20, of Tuskegee – have both been charged with four counts of reckless murder.

Three others previously arrested – Tyreese “Ty Reik” McCullough, 17, of Tuskegee; Travis McCullough, 16, of Tuskegee and Wilson LaMar Hill Jr, 20, of Auburn – are also facing the same charges, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency said.

The teenagers will be tried as adults, as required by Alabama law when anyone 16 or older is charged with murder.

Those killed ranged in age from 17 to 23, including the birthday girl’s brother Philstavious “Phil” Dowdell, 18, who died as his sister knelt beside him begging him to keep breathing.

Philstavious "Phil" Dowdell, who was killed in the shooting, with his sister Alexis Dowdell. Pic: AP
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Philstavious Dowdell, pictured with his sister Alexis Dowdell. Pic: Family of Phil Dowdell/AP
This undated photo provided by the family KeKe Smith shows Shaunkivia Nicole ...Keke... Smith, 17. Smith was of four people killed at a shooting at a birthday party in Dadeville, Ala., on April 15, 2023. (Family of KeKe Smith via AP)
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Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith, who was killed in the shooting. Pic: Family of KeKe Smith/AP

Philstavious and fellow victim Shaunkivia Nicole “KeKe” Smith, 17, were high school seniors.

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The other two killed were Marsiah Emmanuel “Siah” Collins, 19, and Corbin Dahmontrey Holston, 23.

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Teen brothers and man, 20, charged after shooting at girl’s 16th birthday party left four dead
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Another 32 people were injured – four of them critically.

The birthday shooting was the 16th mass killing in the US this year – a 17th happened in the state of Maine on Tuesday.

Some 88 people have died in mass shootings so far in 2023.

The figures are according to a database maintained by the Associated Press and USA Today with Northeastern University, which defines a mass killing as the deaths of four or more people aside from the perpetrator.

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US and EU agree trade deal, says Donald Trump

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US and EU agree trade deal, says Donald Trump

The United States and European Union have agreed a trade deal, says Donald Trump.

The announcement was made as the US president met European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen at one of his golf resorts in Scotland.

Speaking after talks in Turnberry, Mr Trump said the EU deal was the “biggest deal ever made” and it will be “great for cars”.

The US will impose 15% tariffs on EU goods into America, after Mr Trump had threatened a 30% levy.

He said there will be an EU investment of $600bn in the US, the bloc will buy $750bn in US energy and will also purchase US military equipment.

Mr Trump had earlier said the main sticking point was “fairness”, citing barriers to US exports of cars and agriculture.

He went into the talks demanding fairer trade with the 27-member EU and threatening steep tariffs to achieve that, while insisting the US will not go below 15% import taxes.

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For months, Mr Trump has threatened most of the world with large tariffs in the hope of shrinking major US trade deficits with many key trading partners, including the EU.

Ms von der Leyen said the agreement would include 15% tariffs across the board, saying it would help rebalance trade between the two large trading partners.

In case there was no deal and the US had imposed 30% tariffs from 1 August, the EU has prepared counter-tariffs on €93bn (£81bn) of US goods.

Ahead of their meeting on Sunday, Ms von der Leyen described Mr Trump as a “tough negotiator and dealmaker”.

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Michigan: 11 people stabbed in US supermarket – with six in critical condition

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Michigan: 11 people stabbed in US supermarket - with six in critical condition

At least 11 people have been stabbed at a Walmart supermarket in Michigan, with six in a critical condition.

Officials say a suspect is in custody – and at this stage, it is believed the attack was a “random act” that involved a folding-style knife near the checkout area.

Sheriff Michael Shea told reporters: “Eleven is 11 too many, but thank God it wasn’t more.”

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

The suspect, who is from Michigan, is not known to police – and was captured within three minutes thanks to “citizen involvement”.

The attack unfolded in Traverse City – and Tiffany DeFell, who was in the car park at the time, described scenes of chaos.

“It was really scary. Me and my sister were just freaking out,” she said. “This is something you see out of the movies.”

Beyond the six people in a critical condition, it is believed the remaining five were seriously hurt. All 11 are still being treated in hospital.

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Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer said: “Our thoughts are with the victims and the community reeling from this brutal act of violence.”

A Walmart spokesperson added that the retailer is working closely with law enforcement.

“Violence like this is unacceptable. Our thoughts are with those who were injured and we’re thankful for the swift action of first responders,” a statement said.

Pic: AP
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Pic: AP

At this stage, the ages of the victims is unclear – but it is not thought any of the victims were Walmart employees.

Traverse City is about 255 miles northwest of Detroit.

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Plane plunges 300ft in 36 seconds to avoid another aircraft

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Plane plunges 300ft in 36 seconds to avoid another aircraft

A US passenger plane made a dramatic plunge minutes after take-off to dodge another aircraft – injuring two cabin crew and causing passengers to shoot out of their seats.

The Southwest flight had just taken off from Burbank in California when the pilot received an alert about a nearby plane.

Data from FlightAware shows the aircraft dropped by 91m (300ft) in just 36 seconds. Those on board said they felt panicked, and some feared the plane was about to crash.

Comedian Jimmy Dore posted on X: “Pilot had to dive aggressively to avoid mid-air collision … myself and plenty of people flew out of their seats and bumped heads on ceiling, a flight attendant needed medical attention.”

Stef Zambrano saw a woman who wasn’t wearing her seatbelt thrown out of her seat, who then said: “I want to get off this plane. I want to be on the ground.”

Another passenger, Steve Ulasewicz, told NBC Los Angeles that it felt like the plane was in freefall for 10 seconds.

“People were screaming. You know, it was pandemonium. People thought the plane was going down,” he added.

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The aircraft was able to continue to its destination of Las Vegas, where it safely landed without any further incident.

It is believed the Boeing 737 was in the same vicinity as a Hawker Hunter Mk. 58, a British fighter jet.

Southwest is now working with the Federal Aviation Administration “to further understand the circumstances” of the event.

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January: Footage of Washington plane crash

This is the second time in a week that a passenger plane has had to make abrupt flight manoeuvres to avoid a potential mid-air collision.

Concerns have been raised about aviation safety in the US following a series of recent incidents.

In January, a mid-air collision in Washington DC killed 67 people.

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