Three people have died, and eight others are injured after a Mississippi homecoming football game turned deadly.
Holmes County Sheriff Willie March told the Clarion Ledger, a part of the USA TODAY Network, that deputies responded to a 12:30 a.m. call stating multiple people were either shot or dead Saturday near North Highway 17.
Where did the shooting happen?
The shooting happened five minutes away from Lexington, Mississippi, about 62 miles north of Jackson, Mississippi.
How did the shooting happen?
According to March, people were on the trail ride when a shooter opened fire into the crowd following an altercation between young men.
March said the shooting occurred after the Holmes County Consolidated School’s homecoming celebration.
“The football team had won the homecoming game, and people wanted to go out and celebrate the win, but others didn’t have that same intention,” March said.
March told the Clarion Ledger that some of the injured victims were airlifted to a hospital in Jackson. The additional victims were transported by ambulances.
In addition, the sheriff told WJTV that the deputies are searching for the suspects in connection to the shooting. Agents with the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation are assisting with the case, he told the local outlet.
Mass killing database: Revealing trends, details and anguish of every US event since 2006
Who was killed in the mass shooting?
March revealed the identities of those who were killed in the shooting:
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Martel Gibson, 25, of Durant
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Shundra Chestnut, 19, of Kosciusko
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John Jenkins, 19, of Durant
Third mass shooting in the South within a month
A mass shooting took place in Birmingham, Alabama last month on Sept. 21. The shooting killed four people and injured 17 others in the city’s entertainment district. A suspect, Damien McDaniel, was arrested this week in connection to the deadly shooting.
And also last month, a mass school shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia on Sept. 4 claimed the lives of four people and injured nine others. Accused school shooter 14-year-old Colt Gray and his father, Colin Gray, were indicted on numerous charges this week.
Contributing: Marty Roney, Montgomery Advertiser; Christopher Cann, USA TODAY; Wayne Ford, Athens Banner-Herald
Ahjané Forbes is a reporter on the National Trending Team at USA TODAY. Ahjané covers breaking news, car recalls, crime, food recalls, health, lottery and public policy stories. Email her at [email protected]. Follow her on Instagram, Threads and X (Twitter) @forbesfineest.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Mississippi mass shooting leaves 3 dead, 8 injured: What to know
