representative image. , Photo Credit: AP
Six people were shot and killed Friday in a small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line, officials said.
Bailey Martin, a spokeswoman for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, confirmed the killings in Arkabutla in Tate County to The Associated Press.
Governor Tate Reeves’ office said they had been informed of the shootings and that a male suspect was in custody. He was believed to have acted alone, and authorities do not yet have a motive.
Tate County Sheriff’s Dispatcher Shannon Brewer also confirmed that a suspect, who has not been identified, is in custody.
An elementary school and a high school in nearby Coldwater both closed while the search for the suspect is underway, according to the Coldwater Elementary School Facebook page. Shortly afterwards, a second post on the page stated that the lockdown had been lifted and that “all students and staff are safe.”
Arkabutla resident April Wade, who grew up in Coldwater, said both are small communities where most people know each other, “but if you don’t know, you know someone who knows someone.”
Speaking from a local tire store in the afternoon, Ms Wade said she and her husband were aware of shots fired but had not heard the names of the suspect or the victims.
“I think it’s crazy,” Ms. Wade said. “You don’t expect something like this to happen so close to home.”
The shooting was the first in the US since January 23, the last of six in a three-week period, according to the Associated Press/USA Today database. It defines a mass murder as the death of four or more people, not involving the perpetrator.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said its agents were providing assistance to the sheriff’s department and state investigators.
Archbutala is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) south of Memphis, Tennessee, and is home to 285 residents as of the 2020 census. The nearby Arkabutla Lake is a reservoir that is a popular place for fishing and recreation.