At least five people were shot at a homecoming celebration, according to the Quitman County Sheriffs Office.
A homecoming celebration in Marks, Mississippi was cut short Friday night as shots rang out. According to the Quitman County Sheriffs Office, hundreds of people were packed into downtown Marks for a post-tailgating party for Quitman County high Schools homecoming game.
Investigators report as many as seven people were shot at around 11:45 and even more were injured as a stampede of people fled the scene.
The shooting happened on First Street and MLK Junior Drive in Marks, Miss. There was a tailgating party following the homecoming game, and that is when shots erupted, deputies said.
I was there. My knee, I scraped my knee, Marks resident Jazemon Adams said, showing the injuries to his legs. I was trampled down, I scraped my arm and my leg and lost one of my chains. I fell.
Adams said in a small town like Marks, with a population of around 2,000, its rare to have an opportunity to go out on the town. He hated seeing a fun night turn into such a scary situation.
Its really sad when the community comes together for something like that to happen, he said. All we ask for is some peace.
A Marks resident who preferred not to be identified said he dove on his cousin to protect him after he was knocked down in the stampede.
The crowd just started moving and you hear the gunshot, he said. Just got trampled on. People were everywhere and we couldnt really move.
Less than a day later, with crime scene tape still hanging from signs downtown, residents gathered just a block away to take part in the annual Mules and Blues Festival.
We are still here, and we are trying to make our community better, Adams said. We dont need this type of violence in our neighborhood.
The Sheriffs Office initially reported only four people were confirmed shot, but later raised that number to five. Investigators attributed the uncertainty of the number injured to the fact that some of those hurt were taken away from the scene in personal vehicles.
Authorities said they are still trying to identify the suspects.
Download the FOX13 Memphis app to receive alerts from breaking news in your neighborhood.
Trending stories:
