Mass shooting at Mississippi club leaves 1 dead, up to 12 injured
(CNN) — A mass shooting at a club in West Point, Mississippi, Sunday left one woman dead and as many as 12 other people injured, Mississippi law enforcement officials said.
The shooting happened early Sunday inside Club Oasis, Clay County Sheriff Eddie Scott told CNN.
When deputies arrived, they found a 20-year-old woman dead, Scott said. The other gunshot victims’ injuries range from minor to serious, with one person shot in the face.
“What we do know is that a party was advertised, and all these individuals came from other counties into our county,” Scott said. “About 90% of the partygoers were from other counties.”
Scott said the club had security and investigators do not know how a weapon got into the club.
One security guard described chasing the suspected shooter – believed to be holding some type of rifle – as they ran across the parking lot and a four-lane highway before disappearing in the woods, the sheriff told CNN.
“Several hundred” people were estimated to have been inside the club at the time of the shooting, Scott said.
Officials are working to confirm the numbers and checking whether there is video footage from inside the club at the time of the shooting.
“Per our ordinance, the club is supposed to have security cameras, but for some reason or another, last night, the club owner said his weren’t working,” Scott said.
Scott said no arrests have been made and the investigation into the shooting is ongoing.
“Last night was so hectic trying to get actual good, solid information,” Scott said. “It was very difficult with the number of victims and the chaos we had going on.”
There have been 66 mass shootings in the country so far this year, according to the Gun Violence Archive.
The Gun Violence Archive, like CNN, defines a mass shooting as one in which at least four people are shot, excluding the shooter.