A PREGNANT woman is among six people dead after two mass shootings in Mississippi.
Another 12 people were injured as gunfire broke out around midnight on Saturday as the streets were filled with people for Leland High School’s football homecoming celebrations.
Crowds had gathered in Mississippi Delta area after Leland High School’s homecoming game against Charleston High School.
Two separate gunmen are believed to have opened fire in Heidelberg and Leland.
Mississippi Senator Derrick Simmons confirmed six people were killed and at least a dozen had been injured.
All of the victims are believed to be adults with them all rushed to nearby hospitals.
Mississippi governor Tate Reeves said on social media: “Initial investigations indicate that at Heidelberg High School, two people were killed, including an expectant mother.
“A suspect has been identified, and was taken into custody by law enforcement officials.
“In Leland, multiple people were killed and injured during a shooting on one of the town’s main streets.
“Law enforcement officials are working to identify those responsible.”
Mayor Lee told CBS News that the shooting happened around midnight.
“We’re making every effort to find out who did the shooting,” Mr Lee said.
“We’re just in prayer right now for our whole city because this is not something we represent here in the city of Leland.”
When speaking to Fox News Digital, he added that “this is not something that’s ever happened here before.”
“It was homecoming weekend, of course, and everybody’s family and friends and neighbors [were] together having fun in the downtown area, as we do every year,” he added.
So far no suspect has been identified and no one has been detained in relation to the shooting.
The investigation is ongoing and is being led by the Mississippi bureau of investigation.
The identities of the victims have not been released.
Leland, 120 miles (190km) north-east of the state capital Jackson, is a small city in Washington County with a population of 4,000 people.
Residents under the age of 21 had been placed under a 9pm curfew by cops in May in an attempt to crackdown on violence.
Those older than 21 had a 12am curfew.
One woman caught up in the homecoming incident shared on Facebook how she locked herself into the trunk of a stranger’s truck to stay safe.
“I’m still shaken,” she said in a video after the shooting.
“I just kept recording in case it was going to be my last, I was calling all my people saying ‘look I am in somebody’s trunk. I know my body is going to be hurting tomorrow.”
Superintendent Jessie King told The New York Post how there was no indication of any violence breaking out after the game.
Source : https://www.the-sun.com/news/15330541/leland-shooting-high-school-football-game/