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U.S.|At Least 4 Dead and a Dozen Wounded in Mississippi Shooting, Official Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/11/us/leland-mississippi-mass-shooting.html
It was unclear what led to the shooting in Leland, Miss., which happened as the city was celebrating homecoming weekend, the mayor said.
Oct. 11, 2025Updated 1:32 p.m. ET
At least four people were fatally shot and a dozen wounded late on Friday in Leland, Miss., a tight-knit community of less than 4,000 that was celebrating homecoming weekend, the city’s mayor said.
John Lee, serving his first term as mayor, said on Saturday that it was unclear what had led to the shooting. The police have no suspects, he said.
“We’re making every effort to find out who did the shooting,” Mr. Lee said. “My condolences to the families of the deceased. We’re just in prayer right now for our whole city because this is not something we represent here in the city of Leland.”
Leland is on the banks of Deer Creek, just about 115 miles northwest of Jackson, and is among a group of small cities and towns in the Mississippi Delta that share a deep-rooted history of cotton and Blues music. The homecoming celebration that follows a high school football game is an annual gathering in the downtown area. Many people with roots in Leland return for the celebration, Mr. Lee said.
“This is a peaceful community where everybody knows everybody and we have never had anything like this to happen,” Mr. Lee said. “This was just fun with family, friends and neighbors. Just fun.”
People who attended the game on Friday gathered afterward near Main Street, where the shooting occurred around midnight.
Videos posted on social media showed a frenetic emergency response to the shooting, which appeared to have happened in an open area downtown.
Mr. Lee said that he believed all the victims to be adults and that the wounded were being treated at hospitals.
“This doesn’t normally happen in our city — it’s never happened before in our city,” Mr. Lee said.
Earlier this year, a citywide curfew of 12 a.m. for adults and 9 p.m. for minors was imposed to address rising violent and youth crimes in Washington County.
The local police force consists of 11 people and is in the process of rebuilding, Mr. Lee said.
The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said in a statement on Saturday that it was helping in the investigation.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Aishvarya Kavi works in the Washington bureau of The Times, helping to cover a variety of political and national news.
Audra D. S. Burch is a national reporter, based in South Florida and Atlanta, writing about race and identity around the country.
