An update from our editor regarding the mass shooting in Leland, MS
To view 1st post, see the article posted earlier today.
I’ve been following updates throughout the day as our community continues to process the tragedy that unfolded in Leland late last night.
While I was walking into Town Hall this afternoon and waiting for the press conference to begin, word began spreading about another shooting — this time near Stop & Shop, around 1 p.m. Saturday. It was a drive-by shooting, and thankfully, no injuries were reported.
I was standing in a sea of thirty or more neighbors, friends, and reverends — already gathered, hugging one another, praying, and trying to make sense of what had happened and what was still unfolding.
There were two press gatherings — one for the media and one for friends and family. That’s the Leland way: news on one side, prayer on the other, and love holding the middle.
Rev. Jessie King led the friends-and-family meeting with a beautiful, grounding prayer that reminded us we’re never alone in grief.
Mayor John Lee opened the press conference by confirming that sixteen people were shot in the first incident — twelve taken to hospitals, four pronounced dead at the scene — and expressed the city’s commitment “to get to the bottom of this.”
The Washington County Coroner’s Office has since confirmed that six people have died in connection with the shooting — four at the scene and two later at area hospitals.
The initial shooting occurred around 11:45 p.m. Friday night, near Main and 4th Street in downtown Leland, during homecoming after-game celebrations when many residents and alumni were still out walking, visiting, and gathering before the city’s midnight curfew.
Six lives lost. Twelve more injured. Countless hearts broken.
As of this afternoon, no suspects have been publicly identified, and there’s no confirmation yet whether the incidents are related. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation remains the lead agency, with support from the FBI, ATF, Washington County Sheriff’s Office, and the Mississippi Office of Homeland Security. Federal agents are reviewing ballistic and DNA evidence and analyzing video from both scenes.
An FBI spokesperson said it best: “People were enjoying themselves last night and found themselves faced with violence that no community should face.”
ATF agents confirmed they are conducting touch-DNA analysis and using ballistic identification to trace shell casings to other weapons.
Sheriff Milton Gaston thanked federal partners for their assistance and urged anyone with knowledge to speak up — to help bring peace and justice to those affected.
Mayor John Lee also announced that no bars will be open tonight without additional security, and that the city’s midnight curfew remains in effect.
If you’re in town for class reunions, please check with your organizers — several gatherings were being canceled during the press conference.
If you know anything — if you saw anyone carrying firearms last night near downtown or the homecoming tailgate, or if you saw young people with backpacks in the area — please come forward.
If you witnessed anything connected to either last night’s or today’s shootings, your information matters.
Contact 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Even the smallest detail could help investigators.
We all feel this.
My hope is that those reporting from beyond the Delta will continue to do so with care:
— Prioritize accuracy over speed.
— Respect the families’ privacy.
— Remember that behind every headline are neighbors — neighbors who bring you pie when you move here, neighbors you see every week at Stop & Shop.
Leland is grieving. We are heartbroken for our neighbors, but we are holding one another close — in living rooms, in churches, and in silence.
Tonight, I’m lighting a candle for the grieving families — like Mayor John Lee suggested — and also for the first responders who showed up in chaos with courage.
May we keep finding ways to hold one another up — gently, faithfully, and together.
See something. Say something.
— Lora
For 17 years, I would sit on my step and smoke. Even at 4 AM. Never in all of those years did I feel Fear. Now we have mass murders and drive by shootings. What the Hell people? Do I need to tell my grandchildren not to come visit me? This is beyond Sad. It literally makes me sick to my stomach to see what is happening in Leland and Greenville. Parents, DO your job!!!. Get drugs out and teach your children about GOD!!!
Do you have the source for the 11:45 pm shooting time?