Arrest Made in Rip Hewes Shooting from October 18th Football Game

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Posted by: Staff
Date: Oct 31 2024 4:00 PM

DOTHAN, Ala:  On October 31, 2024, Dothan Police Investigators arrested Walter Cummings Jr. (36) of Dothan for one count of Assault 1st degree and one count of Shooting into an Occupied Vehicle.  Cummings’ arrest comes as a result of an investigation into the shooting of a young juvenile, under the age of 12, at Rip Hewes Stadium on October 18, 2024.  Cummings was placed in the Houston County Jail, and his bond has been set at $60,000.

On October 18, 2024, Dothan Police Officers working security for a high school football game at Rip Hewes Stadium were flagged down by a citizen who said a child had suffered a gunshot wound in a vehicle.  The vehicle was in the parking lot and officers responded to render emergency aid.  The juvenile had minor swelling on the head from being struck by the bullet.  Police learned that shots were fired after an altercation occurred in the 400 block of Kornegay Street moments before the juvenile was struck with the bullet.  Officers responded to the area and located shell casings in the roadway.  During a search warrant of the residence on Kornegay Street, Officers found a firearm that was the same caliber ammunition found at the stadium.

Due to the angle of the bullet entering the vehicle from the roof and the extent of the injuries to the victim believed to be from a low velocity bullet, investigators believe it was likely fired in the air from Kornegay Street and landed where the victim was sitting.  The rifle found on Kornegay Street and the projectile found at Rip Hewes Stadium were sent to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for ballistics testing.  Today, Investigators were informed the bullet was a match and came from the rifle recovered on Kornegay Street.  After an interview with Cummings, he admitted he was the person who fired the shots on Kornegay Street.

Firing a bullet into the air is a careless and dangerous act that is against the law.  Offenders caught committing such an act will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

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