A mass shooting at a neighborhood block party in Vienna, Georgia, left two people dead and 35 others injured early Sunday, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. More than 1,000 people were gathered when more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations about a block apart, Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy said.
Deputies were on patrol at the block party around 1:25 a.m. when shots were fired on the 900 block of Pine Street, the GBI said in a statement. The sheriff's office requested the agency's assistance. Two people were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds. The GBI identified them as Jaquevion Jackson, 21, of Cordele, and Macaleb Jackson, 23, of Hawkinsville.
Most of the 35 injured victims suffered gunshot wounds, while several others were hit by cars or suffered other injuries as people fled the scene, according to officials. The injured were transported to hospitals for treatment. The GBI said the ages of the injured range from 14 to 51, and their conditions range from stable to critical.
Peavy described a chaotic scene in which people ran in every direction. Even as officers were on the scene, more gunfire erupted about a block away. «We don't know if it's coming at us or someone else,» Peavy said at a news conference Sunday. «You just have to keep doing what you're doing and hope you don't get hit by gunfire.»
The shooting occurred over homecoming weekend for Dooly County High School. Sherrod Willaford, superintendent of the Dooly County School System, said the shooting was not at a school-sponsored event. «We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families, and staff,» he said in a statement. Schools will open Monday, but additional safety measures have been implemented.
Vienna Mayor Eddie Daniels said the city had not issued any permit for the block party and that he did not know whether it was a homecoming celebration. Authorities have not arrested any suspects, identified a potential motive, or said how many shooters may have been involved. «Please turn yourself in, because we're doing everything we can to find out who you are,» Peavy said. The incident remains under investigation.
Vienna is about 130 miles south of Atlanta and roughly a 50-mile drive south of Macon along the Interstate 75 corridor. The shooting comes after 12 teenagers were wounded by gunfire during a confrontation at a birthday party last week at a city park in Macon.