Mississippi Governor: More than 100 rounds fired at festival shooting by those with low regard for human life

Published 9:00 am Tuesday, May 3, 2022

Gov. Tate Reeves said as many as 100 rounds during a shootout at the Mississippi Mudbug Festival at the state fairgrounds late Saturday.

Reeves addressed the shooting incident during a briefing Monday.

According to WAPT News, Reeves said the shooting suspects went to their vehicles, brought in rifles and fired as many as 100 rounds into the crowd.

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Reeves said law enforcement officers were immediately at the scene.

News outlets reported aggravated assault charges were filed against the two juveniles Sunday. The juveniles will be tried as adults, officials said.

A law enforcement officer shot and killed one of the people suspected of firing shots during the festival, Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said.

The sheriff said two or three people exchanged gunfire at about 10 p.m. Saturday in and around a vehicle at a fairgrounds parking lot, about 1 mile (1.6 kilometers) from the state Capitol. He said multiple shots were fired toward the midway. Jones said two juveniles were detained for questioning, and authorities recovered a car, two rifles and a pistol from the scene.

Jones said six people were shot, including the teenager killed by a law enforcement officer. The others were hospitalized for injuries. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is examining what happened, as it does with most shootings by or of law enforcement officers.

Reeves said during the briefing that the people involved in the shooting had such low regard for human life that even the presence of law enforcement officers did not discourage the shooters from committing violence.

The second annual festival — a spring celebration of crawfish, live entertainment and amusement park rides — shut down after the shootings. Organizers canceled a blues concert and other festival events planned for Sunday.