Six dead by gunfire in a small town in the southern United States

The suspect opened fire at a store and several homes in a small southern Mississippi town.

By Le Figaro with AFP

Published 2/18/2023 at 12:32 AM, updated 2/18/2023 at 1:28 AM

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The suspect, a 52-year-old man, was arrested after a chase. AFP

Six people were killed by a gunman at a store and several homes in a small Mississippi town in the southern United States on Friday, February 17, according to the local sheriff’s office, quoted by American media.

The suspect opened fire at a store in Arkabutla, a town of just under 300 people, where he killed a man before going to a nearby house and shooting dead a woman, said Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance, quoted by WREG3 TV , a local channel affiliated with CBS. He said the gunman then went to another house and shot two other people, killing them as well.

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phone unknown

The killing spree came to a halt after a sheriff’s office officer spotted a car matching the suspect’s description and launched a pursuit. It ended in the driveway of a home where the suspect was arrested. Near this house, agents discovered one deceased in a car and another on the street, bringing the death toll to six.

“We believe he acted alone,” Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves said in a tweet, asking “prayers for the victims of this tragic act of violence and their families.” Memphis Actions News 5 identified the suspect as 52-year-old Richard Dale Crum, who was charged with murder. “His motive is unknown,” Gov. Reeves said.