Six people were killed and many injured in three shootings over the weekend in Mississippi Mississippi
Six people were killed and 18 others were injured in three separate shooting incidents during high school football ceremonies in Mississippi, several local officials said Saturday.
John Lee, mayor of the small city in Washington County in western Mississippi, said Saturday morning that the deadliest incident occurred around midnight Friday in Leland, where four people were killed. At least 16 people were injured in this accident, four of whom were airlifted in critical condition to the state capital, Jackson, and 12 others were treated in local hospitals.
The attack happened on a main street in Leland, where crowds had gathered after the city’s high school homecoming game against Charleston High School, Lee said.
Few details have been confirmed, but local media reported that state Senator Derek Simmons said the shooting occurred during a post-game rally.
Simmons also said four people were airlifted to the University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson in critical condition. No suspects have been named or any details released, but no one was in custody as of Saturday afternoon in connection with the shooting.
Local media reported that the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was leading an investigation.
About 200 miles (320 kilometers) to the southeast, in Heidelberg, another small Mississippi town, police on Saturday were also investigating a shooting over the weekend at the local school there, which left two people dead. Later, there were reports of a third shooting, Friday evening, at South Delta High School in Rolling Fork, just 40 miles south of Leland in the Mississippi Delta, in Sharkey County.
In a statement published on FacebookThe Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office said they arrested two people and charged two people in connection with the Rolling Fork shooting, where locals were news Media reported that two people were injured.
Leland is a small city in Washington County, Mississippi, with a population of about 3,800 people in 2023, according to USA data.
An unnamed Leland Police Department employee said in a statement that the incident was still under investigation and declined to provide further details.
The names of the victims have not yet been revealed.
“I just want to send my condolences to the families of the deceased and to all those being treated,” Leland Mayor Lee said. “We need to pray for our city.”
Meanwhile, in Jasper County, Heidelberg Police Chief Cornell White, speaking about the shooting that happened there at a school event, said two people were killed. He declined to say whether the victims were school students or provide further information about the incident.
“Right now, we still have a big topic, but I can’t provide specific details,” White said Saturday morning.
An 18-year-old man is being sought for questioning in connection with the shooting there, the Jasper County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement.
The Associated Press contributed reporting