The small town of Leland, Mississippi, was rocked Friday night by a mass shooting at a homecoming event that left four people dead and a dozen injured, according to the mayor.
“An event like this has never happened in this city,” Leland Mayor John Lee told NPR by phone. “We are a united city, we are not a violent city.”
Leland is a small town of about 3,700 people where “everyone knows everyone,” Lee said.
The shooting took place in downtown Leland after the local high school football game. The gathering takes place every year: “Families…visiting town come together and just spend time as a family and have fun,” Lee said.
He said a total of 16 people were shot. Four were killed and four others were transported to medical centers for treatment.
The University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson confirmed that two patients linked to the shooting were airlifted overnight, but it declined to release information on their conditions, citing patient confidentiality.
The Leland Police Department declined to comment, citing the ongoing investigation. Lee said no suspects were in custody. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said in a statement it was helping investigate the shooting.
According to the Gun Violence Archive, so far this year, the United States has seen more than 330 mass shootings, in which four or more people were shot.
