Mass shooting at Miss. high school homecoming event leaves 3 dead, 8 hurt

Oct. 19 (UPI) -- Three people were killed and at least eight more were injured during a mass shooting in Mississippi during a high school homecoming event early Saturday, authorities said.

The shooting happened just after 12:30 a.m. CDT during a trail ride in Holmes County, approximately five miles from the city of Lexington, Miss., Holmes County Sheriff Willie March told WJTV-TV in Jackson, Miss.

Police are still searching for suspects, with agents from the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation assisting local authorities.

March said a group of people were riding together following a homecoming event at a local high school when a confrontation broke out, leading to the mass shooting.

Police identified two young men from Durant, Miss. and a young woman from Kosciusko in neighboring Attala County, as those who were killed.

The remaining victims were taken to hospitals in Jackson, including by air ambulance, with varying degrees of injuries.

The incident took place following as part of homecoming activities following a football game at Holmes County Central High School.

"The football team had won the homecoming game and people wanted to go out and celebrate the win, but others didn't have that same intention," March told The (Jackson) Clarion Ledger Saturday.

The sheriff said there were no incidents at the game itself and that further details surrounding the shooting remain unclear. He did not elaborate on how many suspects authorities are looking for.

The Holmes County Consolidated School District had not issued a statement on its Facebook page or website as of noon Saturday. The Facebook page still showed an advertisement for tickets to the game.