A shooting spree at multiple locations left six people dead in the small rural Mississippi town of Arkabutla near the Tennessee state line on Friday, according to officials.
The suspect, who is said to have “acted alone,” has been taken into custody, according to Gov. Tate Reeves (R-Miss.).
Reeves asked the public to pray for the victims “of this tragic violence and their families at this time.”
“I will ensure that the full resources of the state are available to law enforcement as we continue to investigate the situation,” he said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation told The Epoch Times it has been asked to assist in the investigation, and would not be making further comments at this time, redirecting inquiries to the Tate County Sheriff’s Department.
Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance said that the first 911 call came in at around 11 a.m. ET, after the suspected gunman pulled into a store parking lot and fired shots into a car next to him, CNN reported.
The driver was fatally shot, while another person in the vehicle was unharmed.
After leaving the store, the suspect went to his ex-wife’s residence, where he shot and killed her before physically assaulting her fiancé, who was also present.
Deputies eventually caught up with the suspect after locating a vehicle matching its description in front of a residence believed to be owned by the shooter.
The identities of the victims and the suspect have not been released, and the motive behind the shooting is currently unknown.
Lance said that two men were found shot and killed on a small road behind the suspect’s home, with one being found on the road and the other in a vehicle.
Additionally, two more victims were discovered shot and killed in a neighboring house, with deputies suspecting that the suspect may have been related to them. Lance also confirmed that another person was injured in the shootings and received medical attention on-site without requiring further hospitalization.
According to Lance, deputies arrested the suspect as he was attempting to flee the area near his home, and found several handguns and a shotgun in his car.
Local Reactions
Local man Ethan Cash told local media he heard the gunshot from inside his house.“I had just woken up and I look back here, and I see dude walking back here with a shotgun,” he told WREG-TV.
Cash said he went to the scene and found one person who had been shot. He said he checked for a pulse but found none.
“I think it’s crazy,” said April Wade, an Arkabutla resident. “You do not expect something like that to happen so close to home.”
Wade said she was raised in Coldwater and that both towns are relatively small communities where most people know each other.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents were providing assistance to the sheriff’s department and state investigators.
Arkabutla is located approximately 30 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee. As of the 2020 Census, the town is home to a population of 285 residents. Notably, the nearby Arkabutla Lake is a well-liked destination for recreational activities like fishing.
