VIENNA, Ga. — Investigators in rural southern Georgia were searching Monday for at least one suspect after gunfire tore through a high-school homecoming block party early Sunday, killing two young men and injuring 35 other people in one of the state’s deadliest recent mass shootings, BBC News, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reported.
A crowd of roughly 1,000 people had gathered along Pine Street in Vienna, a small city in Dooly County about 50 miles south of Macon, for festivities tied to Dooly High School’s homecoming weekend. School officials said the outdoor celebration was not a school-sponsored event. Around 1:30 a.m. local time, witnesses and deputies said more than 50 rounds were fired into the crowd. Victims ranged in age from 14 to 51, according to authorities.
Two victims were pronounced dead at the scene. Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls identified them as men ages 20 and 23; local outlets later named Ja’Quavion Aderious Jackson, 21, and Macaleb Malik Jackson, 23, among the confirmed dead. Twenty-five people were transported to nearby hospitals, some in critical condition, while others were treated for less severe wounds. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation’s medical examiner’s office said autopsies would be conducted. No arrests had been announced by Monday morning Pacific time, and officials had not publicly stated a motive.
Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told local media that deputies were already positioned at both ends of the crowd because they anticipated a large gathering. Some people first reported fireworks, he said, before realizing someone had been shot. Ashley Gee, who attended the party, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution the barrage sounded “like a machine gun.” Peavy said officers then worked through panicked crowds running in multiple directions as they tried to reach the wounded. The two who died were found several blocks from the initial shooting location on Pine Street.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation joined the case at the sheriff’s request, activating multiple investigative units and describing the probe as active and ongoing. Dooly High School issued a statement saying its “hearts are with the families grieving the loss of loved ones, those who were injured, and everyone affected by this tragedy.” Community leaders urged anyone with video or tips to contact investigators as the manhunt continued across south-central Georgia.
Sources: BBC News, Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Georgia Bureau of Investigation
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