Mourners attend a vigil at the First Baptist Church of Dadeville after a mass shooting at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio on April 16, 2023 in Dadeville, Alabama. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) DADEVILLE, Ala. - Students in the tiny Alabama town of Dadeville wore their black and gold school colors Monday as they mourned two seniors who were among four young people killed by gunfire at a Sweet 16 birthday party over the weekend.Less than six weeks from graduation, faculty, staff and students filed past flags at half-staff to meet counselors waiting to talk about the shooting, which also injured 28 at the Mahogany Masterpiece dance studio off the courthouse square.The school, with its 485 students in grades 6-12, is central to community life in Dadeville, population 3,200, where "Home of the Tigers" is painted on the water tower and local businesses sport signs proclaiming "This is Tiger Country."RELATED: Mass shooting in Dadeville, Alabama, leaves four people dead, 'multitude' hurtInvestigators were still trying to piece together what happened at the party, where numerous gunshots left the dance studio's windows pocked with bullet holes.
While police sought clues, others said they were tending the community’s heart."It’s going to be a tough time for graduation and for these kids," said Heidi Smith, a spokesperson for the 46-bed Lake Martin Community Hospital, where a number of victims were treated. "We will be here for them and their families for the duration."The weekend was marked by a series of high-profile shootings in the U.S.