INDIANOLA, Miss — A shooting outside a Mississippi nightclub left three people dead and more than a dozen injured over the weekend, authorities said.
A large crowd gathered outside a club near the Sunflower County courthouse in Indianola early Sunday, and officers were putting up barriers to help with traffic flow before the shooting broke out, Indianola Police Chief Ronald Sampson told The Enterprise-Tocsin.
Sampson did not immediately return a phone message seeking more information.
Citing information from Sampson in a press release, Indianola Mayor Ken Featherstone said three men were shot to death and 13 others were injured from bullets. Several people were taken to a hospital in Jackson, Mississippi. As of now, no one has been arrested and the Mississippi Bureau of Investigations are helping the Indianola police with the ongoing investigation, the mayor said.
"Motive for the shooting has yet to be established," Featherstone said. "Please keep the families of the deceased and injured in your prayers."
Killed were Areon Butler, of Indianola; and Cameron Lee Butts and Marquette Baites, of Greenville, county Coroner Heather Burton said. All three were 19.
Hours later in Greenville, Mississippi, the police department there reported three people were shot in another incident.
Greenville Police Chief Marcus R. Turner, Sr. said of both the shootings, “We are devastated at this weekend’s tragic events that have taken place in both, the Town of Indianola and the City of Greenville. These violent acts not only have shaken our communities, but it has brought us all much unnecessary heartache. It should not be the norm in either community to lose young people over senseless acts of gun violence. Our department, along with the Washington County Sheriffs department will be out monitoring all areas of the city with extra patrolling. We want to ensure our residents that all violent criminal acts will not be tolerated but will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. Our priority is safety, and we will continue to work hard in yielding those results for our citizens.”
Greenville Mayor Errick D. Simmons released a statement, saying, “Enough is enough! My heart is hurting right now and we must continue our community collective efforts to find solutions to these reckless, and senseless acts of violence taking place in the community,” Simmons said. “Put away your guns and parents know where your children are. If you are carrying illegal guns and using them for violence against others, then you are the problem. Today, I can hear the cries right now of family members whose lives are never going to be the same because they’ve just lost loved ones this past weekend.
To signify our unified cry to end gun violence in our community, we ask that if you “see something, say something”. We can send a powerful message that our city is committed to reducing gun violence and protecting our citizens. Violence against one is violence against us all! It will take all of us to put a stop to this gun violence!”
Indianola, a city of 9,100, is in Mississippi's largely rural Delta region about two and a half hours south of Memphis. Greenville is about 30 minutes east of Indianola.
Featherstone said Indianola city officials are planning to hold a candlelight vigil to honor the people who were killed and injured in the shooting.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
