Deputies were in Vienna, Georgia, to help monitor the large crowd when gunfire erupted at about 1:20 a.m. Eastern Time.
VIENNA, Georgia — No suspects had been arrested by Sunday afternoon after an overnight mass shooting in Vienna left two people dead and 35 others injured, Georgia authorities said.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said it was assisting local law enforcement with the investigation, which began as a homecoming block party in Vienna.
Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy said deputies were already at the event to monitor the crowd when the shooting started shortly before 1:30 a.m. Eastern Time.
Peavy said deputies and partygoers initially believed the sounds were fireworks. They soon realized someone had been shot.
“In a matter of minutes, we had probably 20 officers here,” Peavy said. “It was so congested and thick, trying to get to people that needed our assistance, and working through the crowd was almost impossible, but we did the best we could.”
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By early afternoon, GBI Special Agent in Charge Jerry Jones said investigators had not identified a suspect. Authorities were interviewing victims and others who may have witnessed the shooting.
“We’ve been conducting interviews,” he said. “The crime scene is ongoing, probably will be going for the next several hours, but our goal is to identify — obviously we’ve identified our victims — but what’s critical at this point is identifying anyone that may have information.”
Peavy said approximately 25 people were transported to hospitals, while the total number of injured was estimated at 35. Some victims were struck by vehicles as people attempted to flee the scene, he said.
“Right now, we want to focus on getting answers that everybody needs and everybody wants and put the right people behind bars for this,” Peavy said. “I don’t know if I can describe the feeling other than I’m sad for what’s happened, and we feel for the families, and I give the families my word that we’re going to pursue and try to have justice for them.”
The two people killed in the Vienna shooting had not been publicly identified. Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls said both victims were men, ages 20 and 23.
This story is developing and will be updated as information becomes available.
