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Four people were killed and 12 injured after a Mississippi homecoming celebration ended in gunfire, officials said.
The violence erupted at around midnight in the city of Leland on its main street, Mayor John Lee told CBS.
Lee confirmed to Fox News that the shooter had not been located as of Saturday morning but had no further details about the shooter’s identity.
Crowds had flocked to the city on Friday night to watch Leland High School take on Charleston High School in a homecoming football game.
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 have been detained at this moment. The Daily Mail reached out to the Leland Police Department for more details, but a spokesperson stated that no additional information is 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

Leland Mayor John Lee posted on Facebook hours after the shooting and said he was ‘deeply saddened’
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation confirmed to the Daily Mail that its officers are assisting with the investigation.
Shirleiah Chante Davenport was involved in the incident and shared her experience of having to hide in a stranger’s trunk to remain safe.
“I’m still shaken,” she mentioned in a video following the shooting. “I just kept recording in case it was my last moment. I was calling everyone, saying, ‘Look, I’m in someone’s trunk.’ I know my body will be sore tomorrow.”
‘Thank God I am okay. Innocent people out here, we are supposed to be having fun not this stupid stuff.’
FBI Director Kash Patel posted on X about the shooting.
‘FBI is aware and engaged regarding the shooting that occurred last night at a nightclub in Leland, Mississippi – we are mobilizing assets to assist local authorities in the case,’ he wrote.
‘Please pray for the victims and their families. We will update as able.’

Families of the victims ushered into Leland City Hall Saturday for a meeting with authorities

The shooting took place on the city’s main street

Citizens of the city have spoken out against gun violence since the shooting took place
Locals living in Leland were put under a curfew in May to deal with soaring violence in the city.
The mayor declared a state of emergency 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.
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.
Superintendent Jessie King said the celebrations at school wound up peacefully with no indication of the horror ahead.

Leland is located on the eastern side of Mississippi, over 100 miles from Jackson

The mayor posted on Facebook just hours after the shooting
‘We left there believing we’d check this one off for one in the books,’ he told the New York Post.
‘No issues whatsoever. No triggers, no warnings that something like this would take place. The football game and the tailgate on the campus — everyone was having a good time and it closed down in good spirits.’
The shooting was the second to occur in Mississippi on the same night after another unfolded at a different high school three hours away in Heidelberg.
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