Six people were shot dead Friday in a small town in the rural US state of Mississippi, near Tennessee, local authorities said, adding that the suspect has been arrested.
Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesman Bailey Martin confirmed the deaths in Arkabutla, Tate County, in statements to the Associated Press (AP) agency.
Governor Tate Reeves’ office said the person responsible had been notified of the shooting and a suspect was in custody.
“At this point we think he acted alone”Reeves underlined in a statement, adding that the motive for the shooting “is not yet known.”
Tate County Sheriff’s Office Shannon Brewer also confirmed that a suspect was in custody.
A nearby elementary and middle school were closed while the suspect was searched, according to Coldwater Elementary School’s Facebook page.
Shortly afterwards, the schools announced in a second publication that the closure had been lifted and that “all students and staff were safe”.
This shooting in Mississippi is the first mass murder in the U.S. since Jan. 23, the last of six in a three-week period, according to an Associated Press/USA Today database, which defines a mass murder as from four or more dead, not including the shooter.
Arkabutla is about 30 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, and has a population of 285, according to the latest census. Nearby Lake Arkabutla is a popular fishing and recreation destination.
Source: DN
