DOTHAN, Ala. (WTVY) – Dothan Police Chief Will Benny says several people are in custody following a shooting Saturday morning during the National Peanut Festival Parade.
“We have several people we are talking to right now and we expect to release more information later,” said Benny. “We are processing a lot of information right now.”
The shooting happened at the intersection of Main Street and Montana Street as the National Peanut Festival was concluding.
Video shows the shooting taking place on several social media sites. It appears that a fight led to the shooting.
News4 had just wrapped coverage of the parade when multiple Dothan police vehicles came racing by en route to the scene. The police department’s helicopter was also being used for the parade and was immediately over the crime scene offering assistance.
Our News Director and weekend anchor share what they saw in Saturday morning’s shooting.
Multiple agencies including the Houston County Sheriff’s office and the Houston County EMA were offering assistance moments after shots had rung out.
“It was scary,” said one person on a float in the area when it happened. “We just were not sure what was happening and were told that shots had been fired and we should take cover.”
In a separate incident, a medical emergency took place around the same time at the Main Street McDonald’s. Moments after a vehicle overturned on Saunders Road.
This is not the first shooting this week that has ended deadly in the city.
Multiple law enforcement sources identified the victim as Samuel Jeffrey Gray, a 36-year-old man whose court records show most recently lived in the neighborhood where the shooting occurred.
According to a release from Dothan Police, the victim had a gunshot wound to the upper torso. The body has been sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences where a forensic examination will be conducted.
Subscribe to our News 4 newsletter and receive the latest local news and weather straight to your email every morning. Get instant notifications on top stories from News 4 by downloading our mobile apps.
Copyright 2022 WTVY. All rights reserved.
