A 52-year-old local man who is believed to have acted alone shot and killed several people in several locations including a store and two homes, in Arkabutla, a community of fewer than 300 people in the US before he was arrested according to Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves.
According to sheriff Brad Lance, the rampage began when the gunman entered a petrol station convenience store at around 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT) and shot a man to whom he had no apparent connection and then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot his ex-wife but not his fiance.
The gunman then drove to a home next to his residence and fatally shot a man who may have been his stepfather, as well as an unnamed woman according to the New York Times.
He then shot two people, one inside a car and one on the road, not far from his own home. The final two victims appear to have been construction workers on a job at the site, according to Sheriff Lance.
Primary and secondary schools in nearby Coldwater were placed on lockdown during the incident, which unfolded 45 miles (72km) south of Memphis, in neighboring Tennessee.
The suspect was later arrested inside a vehicle after matching witness descriptions near his home after a brief car chase.
Friday’s incident marks the 73rd mass shooting since the year began, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) non-profit research database.
Man Kills Ex-wife And Five Others During a Rampage In A Small Rural Town In The US
I'm a senior member at Forsige covering topics on diplomacy and foreign policy relating to Asia and the World.