LELAND, Mississippi, Oct 12: Homecoming celebrations across Mississippi turned tragic Friday night when three separate shootings erupted on opposite sides of the state, killing at least eight people and injuring many others, authorities said. Six people were shot dead in Leland in the Mississippi Delta, and two more were killed in the small eastern town of Heidelberg, according to law enforcement officials, the Associated Press (AP) reported.
In Leland, gunfire broke out downtown shortly after a high school football game as people gathered to celebrate. Washington County Coroner La’Quesha Watkins confirmed that four victims died at the scene and two others succumbed to injuries at a nearby hospital. Around 20 people were wounded, including four who were flown to Jackson for advanced treatment, said state Sen. Derrick Simmons, who has been receiving updates from law enforcement in the Delta region, according to the AP.
By Saturday morning, yellow crime scene tape hung loosely across Leland’s small downtown, tied to poles and fences near shuttered shops. Police cordoned off areas close to a memorial sign for soul singer Tyrone Davis, who was born nearby. Families waited anxiously outside City Hall for information, while reporters were kept out of the building. Simmons said people had been enjoying themselves when chaos broke out, describing the aftermath as “very chaotic” with police and ambulances rushing in from surrounding areas, the AP saod.
Hurricane Nate closes in on Mississippi, eyes 2nd landfall
No arrests have been made so far. One witness, Camish Hopkins, said she saw several people bleeding and at least four bodies lying on the ground. “It was the most horrific scene I’d ever seen,” she told the Associated Press, recalling how officers yelled at people to stay behind the tape as confusion spread through the crowd. Hopkins said the community failed itself that night but believed it could recover.
On the opposite side of the state, police in Heidelberg said two people were killed during that town’s homecoming weekend. Both victims were found on the school campus Friday night, Police Chief Cornell White said.
He did not identify the victims or say whether they were students but confirmed that an 18-year-old man was being sought for questioning. The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office urged anyone with information to contact authorities. The shooting occurred as the Heidelberg Oilers were playing their homecoming football game about 85 miles southeast of Jackson, according to the AP.
Governor Tate Reeves said state and federal agencies, including the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation, are helping with the cases. Reeves said the state was “praying for the victims and their families, as well as the entire Heidelberg and Leland communities,” promising that those responsible would face justice, the AP mentioned.
In a separate incident, authorities in Sharkey County, also in the Mississippi Delta, said they were investigating another shooting that took place after a high school football game. Sheriff Herbert Ceaser Sr. confirmed two arrests in connection with that case but did not provide details about the victims or the motive. In a statement, he offered condolences to the victim’s family and said more information would be shared as the investigation progresses, the Associated Press stated.
Local and state officials are now trying to determine if the shootings are connected. For small towns across Mississippi, homecoming weekends are major community events built around high school football and parades. This year, they ended in tragedy, the AP said.
_20210317082629.jpeg)
