6 killed in Mississippi shootings; suspect in custody

TATE COUNTY, Miss. — A suspect is in custody after six people died in a series of shootings Friday around a rural town in Tate County, according to multiple reports.

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Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance confirmed the arrest to WHBQ. He did not immediately release the suspect’s name.

In a statement posted on social media, Gov. Tate Reeves said that he had been briefed on the shootings and that officials believe the gunman acted alone.

“His motive is not yet known,” Reeves said.

Authorities first responded to a report of a shooting at a store in Tate County around 11 a.m., WHBQ reported. A second shooting was later reported at a location about 1.5 miles west of the first shooting, according to the news station. WHBQ reported that officials were notified about a third shooting location before they apprehended the suspect.

Baily Martin, a spokesperson for the Mississippi Department of Public Safety, told The Associated Press that the shootings happened in the town of Arkabutla, a town about 30 miles south of Memphis, Tennessee, that houses a population of about 285 people. Martin told CNN that the Mississippi Department of Public Safety is helping to investigate the shootings.

The victims were not immediately identified.

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