United States: Six people killed in series of shootings in Mississippi

Six people were fatally shot Friday in a small town in rural Mississippi near the Tennessee state line. Authorities said they had taken a suspect into custody. Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin confirmed the killings in Arkabutla, in Tate County. Governor. Tate Reeves’ office said he had been briefed on the shootings and a male suspect was in custody. “At this time, we believe he acted alone,” Reeves said in a statement. “His motive is not yet known.”

An elementary school and a high school in nearby Coldwater both went on lockdown while the suspect was being sought, according to the Coldwater Elementary School Facebook page. A short time later, a second post on the page said the lockdown had been lifted and “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, you know somebody who knows somebody.” The shootings are the first mass killing in the U.S. since Jan. 23, which saw the last of six in a three-week period, according to an Associated Press/USA Today database. It defines a mass killing as four or more people dead, not including the perpetrator.