1 dead, 8 shot in Atmore

A birthday bash Friday night at the old Escambia County Middle School in Atmore turned deadly early Saturday morning when gunfire erupted leaving one person dead and eight others shot.

Atmore Police Chief Chuck Brooks identified the person killed as Chirshawn Jermaine Westry, 19, of Atmore.

Brooks reported police received a 911 call at about 2 a.m. Saturday in response to shots being fired at the Atmore Family Life Center at 100 Martin Luther King drive.

He stated when police arrived on the scene they heard gunshots going off around the property. Officers began assisting gunshot victims as well as restoring order and found Westry's body in the cafeteria of the building.

Witnesses told police a fight broke out between two females and then multiple gunshots rang out inside the building. The unknown suspects ran to the parking lot where more shots were fired and more people were injured.

As of press time Wednesday, no arrests had been made. Brooks encouraged anyone with information about the shootings to call the Atmore Police Department at 251-368-9141 or their nearest law enforcement agency.

One witness said he heard at least 150 shots being fired in and out of the building.

Advertised as 'Shake presents Taurus Takeover Birthday Bash', more than 700 people showed up for the event that began at 10 p.m.

Malik Brown, a senior at Escambia County High School, said it was to celebrate his 19th birthday. He said he paid Lillie Johnson, director of Atmore Family Life Center, $400 to rent the building - $300 in advance and $100 the day after the show. Johnson leased the old middle school from the Escambia County School Board for the family life center.

Brown said he had 700 tickets printed and had 15 left, but noted some people got in free. He charged $10 per ticket to attend the party and said people were there from Atmore, Bay Minette, Pensacola, Flomaton, Century, Brewton, Evergreen, Georgiana, Monroeville, Andalusia and more.

"My mama had a bad feeling about it to begin with," Brown said of the party.

Brown said alcohol was not served at the party but said he saw a lot of people walking around with cups in their hands.

Brown said he was in the back of the building when he heard the gunshots start going off and everybody started running. He noted there was only one way in and one way out with the other doors chained closed. Some of the crowd began breaking out windows to get out of the building.

Brown said he heard 35 to 40 shots inside the building and more than 120 outside in the parking lot.

He said Johnson contacted him Saturday wanting the key back saying she needed to board up the broken windows. Attempts to contact Johnson were unsuccessful.

Escambia County High School Principal Dennis Fuqua said he talked to one of his other ECHS students who was at the party and the student told him he would never go back.

He told Fuqua about the one way in and one way out set up with the other doors chained shut.

"When he heard the gunfire and realized he could not get out he ran through a window and many others followed him," Fuqua said. "I told him because of what he is about to do, which is playing college football, I didn't want him in these types of environments. But I feel like it was a blessing he was there because he saved other lives."

Fuqua also stressed that it was not a graduation party that he said many social media posts claimed it had been.

"There is a lot of misinformation floating around," Fuqua said. "It was advertised as a birthday party."

"It's a terrible tragedy and it's also devastating," Fuqua added. "It takes away from what this graduating class accomplished. This past Friday at class day we handed out $8.6 million in scholarships to members of the senior class."

Brown walked across the stage Tuesday night to receive his diploma and said he will attend Alabama A&M in Huntsville next fall.

Escambia County School Superintendent John Knott confirmed that the school board had entered into an agreement with Johnson many years ago to operate the Atmore Family & Life Center, but the agreement has now been terminated.

"I talked with her Saturday and met with her Monday morning," Knott said of Johnson. "I told her it was not working and the board would not continue with the lease."

Knott said he would allow Johnson and her staff to get their belongings out of the building but there would be no other events on the property and no tresspassing signs will be posted.

Knott said he will make a recommendation to the school board to demolish the old building.

"It's in disarray and there's nothing there to be salvaged or used," Knott said.