Two dead, 35 injured in Georgia mass shooting during homecoming weekend block party—suspects at large
A mass shooting in Georgia has led to the deaths of two, with 35 others being injured. The incident took place during a neighborhood block party early on Sunday morning, where over 1000 people were gathered, according to police.
There were police officers on patrol at the block party at around 1:25 am at the 900th block of Pine Street in Vienna, Georgia when shots rang out, according to Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy. There were over 1,000 people gathered for the event, and over 50 shots were heard as the incident took place.
Two people were pronounced dead and 35 other victims were injured by gunshot wounds. Several others were also hit by cars or had other injuries while people were fleeing the chaotic scene, police said in a press conference. The two people killed were identified as 21-year-old Jaquevion Jackson of Cordele and 23-year-old Macaleb Jackson of Hawkinsville, Georgia. The ages of those who were injured ranged from 14 to 51, but no motive for the shooting has been identified yet.
The shooting took place over the weekend of homecoming for Dooly County High School. “We don’t want to presume anything as to what caused it,” Chris Hosey, the director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, said. “The goal right now is to identify those involved and gather as much information as we can.”
The event, although it coincided with the homecoming weekend of the high school, was not sponsored by the school, officials said. “We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families, and staff,” Sherrod Willaford, superintendent of the Dooly County School System, told NBC News. Willaford said that schools will open on Monday but that additional safety measures will be used.
Police are interviewing witnesses, and the investigation is ongoing. No arrests have been made as of Monday morning.
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