Four people were killed and at least 16 others were wounded in Dadeville, Alabama, over the weekend after a “Sweet 16” birthday party turned violent.

The party took place Saturday night at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio, witnesses told WRBL.

Gunfire erupted at the party around 10:30pm, injuring more than 20 people. Witnesses told the news broadcaster that most of the more than 20 victims are teens, though that information has not been confirmed by law enforcement.

The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed that four people died in the mass shooting, according to AL.com. No further information on their identities or the details of the shooting were provided. No arrests were announced, and no further information on the whereabouts of the shooter were provided.

Numerous families have reportedly gathered to wait outside area hospitals where their loved ones are presumably being treated.

Dadeville is a small, rural city in Tallapoosa County, Alabama. Around 60 miles northeast of Montgomery, it has a population of just over 3,200.

Locals consider Dadeville to be the “Heart of Lake Martin”, a man-made lake with a hydroelectric dam completed in 1929.

The shooting took place at the Mahogany Masterpiece Dance Studio on Saturday evening, witnesses told WRBL. Gunfire erupted at the party at approximately 10:30pm.

According to the studio’s Facebook page, it had been preparing to celebrate its two-year anniversary on 29 April with a Michael Jackson-themed showcase of pop, rock and soul.

“This show will be filled with lots of sass, flare, and a guaranteed ROCKIN’ good time!”, one post wrote.

Dadeville’s mayor, Jimmy Goodman, said that the residents were “in shock” and that they were “doing our best to cope with it.”

“We’re just trying to make do,” he told ABC News.

The mass shooting is the latest in a violent spring across the US South. In late March, a woman shot and killed six people at a private school in Nashville, including three 9-year-old children. A few weeks later a mass shooter in Louisville, Kentucky, killed six people and injured nine others at his workplace.

Ben Haynes, the senior pastor at First Baptist Church in Dadeville, said he spent the night with the families of the victims, according to ABC News.

Family members of the victims reportedly told Mr Haynes that an argument inside the party sparked the shooting, and that there were more than 50 people at the party when the violence broke out.

The situation is under active investigation by the ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigations, the Dadeville Police Department, and the Tallapoosa County Sheriff’s Office.

“This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians,” Alabama state governor Kay Ivey tweeted following the incident.

“Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.”

Good afternoon, and welcome to The Independent’s live blog on the shooting in Dadeville, Alabama. Follow as we provide live updates.