The MySpace page for Sunday's event did not mention any birthday festivities, though the promoter - Fast Lane Entertainment - indicated on the site that it could organize a "birthday bash." The event was slated to feature a disc jockey named "DJ D. Holla."
The promotional site on MySpace also said the event would feature live performances from Born Famous, Brandon "Love" Burke and Exodus the Great. A person named "Rome" was the host for the party, which was slated to begin at 8 p.m. Sunday, according to the site.
The event was open to people ages 17 and older, and included a bar. Women were charged $10, and men paid $15 to enter.
Dave Williams, spokesman for Harford County Volunteer Fire and Emergency Services, said the Joppa-Magnolia volunteer fire company routinely rents its hall as a way to raise money to support its operations. "This event was booked as a birthday party for a family member," he said.
As a result of Sunday night's fatal shooting, Williams said, the fire company may have to reconsider the way it rents the hall and may even keep a staff member at each event as a monitor.
Police and paramedics found the victim, Alston, wounded inside the fire hall, located in the 1400 block of Mountain Road, about 11:45 p.m. He was transported to Upper Chesapeake Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead about 12:30 a.m. yesterday.
The Harford County Sheriff's Office has not said whether it knew of a motive in the case.
Alston's parents, Robert and Daphne Alston of Edgewood, said their son left home about 11:15 p.m. Sunday to go to a party with friends. And at 11:45 p.m., Daphne Alston said, she got a call from a girl who was hysterical, saying, "Tariq has been shot, Tariq has been shot."
Robert Alston drove to the fire station, and then followed the ambulance to the hospital. He wasn't in the hospital long, he said, when a doctor told him his son had died.
"I'm angry and upset at the children who killed my son," Robert Alston said. "The culture today says they don't even need a reason."
The Alstons said they were convinced that their son was not the intended victim.
"He was a quiet kid, and a good basketball player" when he attended Edgewood High School, Daphne Alston said. "He always let me know where he was.
"He got in with a bad crowd," she said. "But I have no idea who would hurt him."
"He didn't deserve this," said his father. "He deserved to live."
