One person was killed and four people were wounded in a shootout and subsequent law enforcement response at a Mississippi festival Saturday night, the Hinds County sheriff said.
Gunfire erupted just before 10 p.m. at the Mississippi Mudbug Festival at the Mississippi State Fairgrounds in Jackson, Sheriff Tyree Jones said at a late-night news conference.
Three of the wounded people were stabilized at a hospital, he said. The condition of the fourth person was not available.
An officer also fired his weapon, Jones said, possibly striking and killing a person who may have allegedly been involved in the original outburst of gunfire.
The officer’s identity and agency have not been released. He was not physically injured, Jones said.
Authorities have recovered a rifle, a pistol and rounds of different calibers at the scene, the sheriff said.
Two people, described as juveniles, were detained for questioning, although the sheriff said he believes they have knowledge of what happened or were allegedly involved.
Authorities were checking area hospitals to see if any have treated other injured people from the festival violence.
Jones said there was an exchange of gunfire and at least one shooter fired in to an area where there was a crowd, but said no other injuries were reported there.
He decried the violence at what he said was a “family oriented” event. The festival, which was scheduled Wednesday through Sunday, celebrates the peak season for crawfish and includes musical acts.
The annual event is hosted by the state of Mississippi. Jones said multiple law enforcement agencies were at the scene before the shooting took place.
A motive for the shooting was not known and the investigation is ongoing.
