8 People Dead and More Than 20 Injured After 3 Separate Homecoming Shootings in Mississippi on the Same Night By Toria Sheffield 23

Eight people are dead and more than 20 were injured after three separate high school homecoming celebrations in Mississippi ended in gunfire.

The most deadly of the shootings took place in the downtown area of Leland at around 12 a.m. local time on Saturday, Oct. 11, per KSL.com and the Associated Press. Four people were killed on the scene, and two later died at the hospital, per the AP. 

The area was busier than usual as residents were out celebrating a homecoming game, the AP reported.

“People were just congregating and having a good time in the downtown of Leland,” state senator Derrick Simmons said while speaking to the AP, adding that he was told by police that the scene was “very chaotic.”

He continued, “It’s just senseless gun violence. What we are experiencing now is just a proliferation of guns being in circulation.”

No arrests in connection with the shooting have been announced at this time. PEOPLE reached out to the Leland Police Department (LPD) on Sunday, Oct. 12, but did not receive an immediate response.

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Another shooting took place at Heidelberg High School in Heidelberg, which is about 80 miles east of the state capitol. Police said three people were shot on school grounds, and two of them died from their injuries, per the AP.

Police declined to state whether the victims were students at the school, according to the outlet.

Tylar Jarod Goodloe, 18, is currently in custody in relation to the Heidelberg shooting, according to a Facebook post from the Jasper County Sheriff’s Department (JCSD).

PEOPLE reached out to the Heidelberg Police Department for comment on Oct. 12 but did not receive an immediate response.

A third shooting took place in the state — also following an Oct. 10 homecoming game — in Sharkey County, according to a statement shared on Facebook by the Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office (SCSO). Authorities have “arrested and charged two individuals in connection with the shooting,” per the statement.

“Sheriff Ceaser [wants] to make it absolutely clear that acts of violence in our community will not be tolerated. Our team of law enforcement officers are committed to pursuing justice swiftly and ensuring the safety of all residents and visitors that come to our county,” the statement continued. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the victim’s family during this incredibly difficult time. We ask the community to come together in support and remain positive as the investigation continues.”

People reached out to the Sharkey County Sheriff’s Office on Oct. 12 but did not receive an immediate response.