BREAKING NEWS: Six people are shot dead in a series of shootings in rural Mississippi: one victim is found dead in a store and five others are arrested at separate homes as suspects
- Gunman killed a man outside a gas station before setting out on his mass shooting
- Authorities have confirmed they have arrested a man they believe responsible, but have not yet identified him
- Employees at the Express Mart store “ran and hid” after a man with a gun entered their store at 12:30 p.m. Friday
Six people have been shot dead in rural Mississippi after a gunman went on a killing spree.
Tate County authorities have arrested a man in connection with the incidents after spotting him in a vehicle on Arkabutla Dam Road, where the shooting took place.
Police say the suspect shot and killed a man outside the Express Mart on Arkabutla Road at 12.30pm, with a store employee telling that she and her colleagues “ran and hid”.
She said: “No one was hurt inside the store, the man was shot outside. He came here with a gun and we all ran and hid. I don’t know who he was.”
The gunman then reportedly traveled 3.8 miles to Bend Road, where he shot and killed a woman at a property.
Police say the suspect shot dead a man outside the Express Mart on Arkabutla Road at 12.30pm, with a store employee telling that she and her colleagues “ran and hid”.
Sheriff Brad Lance said the shooter lived on Arkabutla Dam Road but authorities have not yet identified him
Her husband was also injured in the incident, but it’s unclear if he was shot by the gunman.
The suspect then traveled to a house on Arkabutla Dam Road and shot dead two people at the property before his vehicle was spotted by authorities.
Tate County Sheriff’s Deputy tried to apprehend the shooter but he couldn’t stop causing a chase.
The gunman pulled into the driveway of a house and was arrested by police before they discovered another person dead in a car and a sixth lying on the pavement.
A spokesman for the sheriff’s office told that the incident “no longer poses a threat” to the community.
They added: “We have held a suspect in our prison. We cannot confirm otherwise as this is an active investigation.’
Authorities said they were not currently aware of the motive behind the shooting or whether those killed knew each other.
Sheriff Brad Lance told WJTV the shooter resided on Arkabutla Dam Road but authorities had not yet identified him.
Coldwater Elementary and High School were initially suspended because of the active shooter, but have since reopened.
The city of Arkabutla has fewer than 300 residents and is located about 45 miles south of Memphis.
The gunman then reportedly traveled 3.8 miles to Bend Road, where he shot and killed a woman at a property
Six people have been shot dead in rural Mississippi after a gunman went on a killing spree