Six dead in Mississippi shootings, official says; suspect arrested

Days after a shooting rampage at one of the country’s largest colleges, gun violence shocked a small community in Tate County, Mississippi, where a 52-year-old gunman killed six people at three different locations, according to local and state officials.

Richard Dale Crum, of Arkabutla, Mississippi, was arrested after the shootings and charged with first-degree murder in at least one killing, according to the Tate County Sheriff’s Office. Additional charges for each of the other victims will be filed in the coming days, the office added.

“We are in the very early stages of the investigation so we can only release a limited amount of information,” the sheriff’s office said in a Facebook post. “What we do want the community to know is that the suspect is in custody.”

The shootings occurred in Arkabutla, a community of about 300 in Tate County, about 45 miles south of Memphis. The incident started on Arkabutla Road, according to the sheriff’s office.

The suspect allegedly approached two men who were inside a vehicle and fatally shot the driver, according to a man who told the Washington Post by phone that he was the owner of a store near the shootings, but who declined to give his name.

Another man got out of the car and fled on foot after the suspect allegedly opened fire, the store owner said. He added that the area is safe and shootings like this have “never happened” before.

The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation is investigating, and the New Orleans Field Division of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is providing assistance in the case. Authorities have not identified the victims or the weapon used.

“This is an open and ongoing investigation; no further comment will be made by (Mississippi Bureau of Investigation) at this time,” said Bailey Martin, a spokeswoman with the Mississippi Department of Public Safety.

Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves tweeted that officials think the suspect acted alone.

“His motive is not yet known,” Reeves stated. “I will ensure that the full resources of the state are available to law enforcement as we continue to investigate the situation.”

The incident is the latest in a string of deadly gun violence this year, including a shooting that killed three students at Michigan State University earlier this week. President Biden, in his State of the Union address earlier this month, demanded action on gun control.

Crum is being held without bond in the Tate County Jail, the sheriff’s office said.