Four people were killed and 12 injured after a Mississippi homecoming celebration ended in gunfire, officials said.
The violence erupted at around midnight on the city of Leland’s main street, Mayor John Lee told CBS.
Lee confirmed to Fox News that the shooter had not been located as of Saturday morning. He had no further details about the shooter’s identity.
Crowds had flocked to the city to watch Leland High School take on Charleston High School in a homecoming football game Friday.
At least four people were airlifted to nearby hospitals. Their condition remains unknown.
Bystanders caught up in the chaos described how they cowered inside the trunk of their cars to escape the gunfire.
No suspects are currently in custody. Daily Mail contacted Leland Police Department for more details, but a spokesman said there is no further information available at this time.
‘I’m deeply saddened about the tragedy that happened in the City of Leland,’ Mayor Lee wrote on Facebook hours after the shooting.
Four people were killed and 12 injured after a Mississippi homecoming celebration ended in gunfire
Violence broke out on the city of Leland’s main street at around midnight on Saturday
Locals living in Leland have been under curfew since May to deal with soaring violence in the city.
Leland Mayor John Lee posted on Facebook hours after the shooting and said he was ‘deeply saddened’
A woman from Leland posted online at the time of the incident that she hid in someone’s trunk as shots were fired.
‘Thank God, I’m okay,’ she said in a video, referencing homecoming. ‘We were supposed to be having fun.’
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed to the Daily Mail that they are assisting with the investigation.
The mayor declared a state of emergency in May to combat violence in the city requiring a 9pm curfew for residents under 21 and a 12am curfew for residents over 21.
The small city is located in Washington County in eastern Mississippi. Census data from 2020 reports that the town had a population of about 4,000 people.
Leland is located on the eastern side of Mississippi, over 100 miles from Jackson
The mayor posted on Facebook just hours after the shooting
New York Giants player and 1991 Super Bowl Champion Johnie Cooks attended Leland High School before playing at Mississippi State and being drafted to the NFL in 1982.
The shooting came as another unfolded at a different high school three hours away in Heidelberg, MS.
The violence left two people dead and at least one person injured, according to WDAM.
This is a breaking news story – check back for updates
