Two killed, nearly three dozen injured in south Georgia homecoming block party shooting
Law enforcement officials were trying to establish the circumstances surrounding a shooting that broke out early Sunday during a homecoming party in a southern Georgia town, leaving two people dead and nearly three dozen injured.
Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy identified those killed as 21-year-old Jaquevion Jackson of Cordele and 23-year-old Macaleb Jackson of Hawkinsville, Georgia.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation Director Chris Hosey said Sunday evening that some of the injured had suffered gunshot wounds, but he did not provide an exact figure.
"We're still trying to work through that," Hosey said at a news conference.
No arrests had been made several hours after the shooting, and authorities had not disclosed a possible motive.
Peavy said the injured, whose ages ranged from 14 to 51, were taken to multiple hospitals in the region. Some remained in critical condition Sunday evening, while others were reported to be stable.
More than 1,000 people attended party
More than 1,000 people had gathered for the event, and at least 50 shots were fired at two locations roughly a block apart in Vienna, Peavy told WMAZ-TV.
Vienna is a small rural community located about 130 miles (210 kilometres) south of Atlanta.
Peavy said deputies were already near the area when the shooting began. After they reached the scene, additional gunfire broke out about a block away.
"We don't know if it's coming at us or someone else," he said. "You just have to keep doing what you're doing and hope you don't get hit by gunfire."
The shooting occurred during homecoming weekend for Dooly County High School.
Witness recalls rapid gunfire
Ashley Gee, 30, who lives in nearby Turner County and had travelled to Vienna for the party, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she heard repeated bursts of gunfire. She described the sound as being similar to rapid-fire weapons.
"Like a machine gun," she said. "One person ran, and everybody started running."
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, the gathering attracted people from neighbouring counties in south Georgia after a local high school football team won its homecoming game on Friday night.
The shooting was not connected to a school-sponsored event, Dooly County School System Superintendent Sherrod Willaford said.
"We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families, and staff," he said in a statement.
Willaford said schools would open Monday, with additional safety measures being implemented, though he did not provide details about those measures.
Peavy said the festivities had started Friday night and that the event had "gone well" with "respect from the community" that evening while deputies patrolled the area.
Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Lydia Bullard declined to comment on the shooting, citing the ongoing investigation. (with inputs from Associated Press)
