1 dead, several injured in Miss. festival shooting

Officer shoots suspect; last day of event canceled

JACKSON, Miss. – A law enforcement officer shot and killed a person suspected of firing shots at a festival, a sheriff said late Saturday.

In response to the shootings, organizers canceled the final day of the Mississippi Mudbug Festival at the state fairgrounds.

Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones said several people were taken to hospitals with unknown injuries after the gunfire Saturday night.

He said an “officer-involved shooting investigation is underway stemming from this incident,” but he did not provide additional details. He said the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation was called to assist.

Jones said two or three people exchanged gunfire at around 10 p.m. Saturday in a fairgrounds parking lot.

“During the course of the exchange, at least one of these individuals fired multiple rounds, multiple shots, toward the midway area of the event that was in progress,” Jones said. “We do not believe there was anybody else injured along the midway during the course of this gunfire.”

The second annual festival – a spring celebration of crawfish, live entertainment and amusement park rides – shut down after the shootings. Saturday’s headliner was Blue Oyster Cult, the rock band best known for classic hits “(Don’t Fear) the Reaper” and “Burnin’ For You.” A message seeking comment from the band’s representative wasn’t immediately returned.

The conditions of the wounded weren’t clear. Jones said two juveniles were detained for questioning, and authorities recovered a car, two rifles and a pistol.

Mississippi Department of Public Safety spokesperson Bailey Martin confirmed Sunday that MBI is investigating, as it does most shootings of or by law enforcement officers in the state. She declined to name the agency for which the officer works.

Grammy-winning blues singer Bobby Rush was the headline performer scheduled for Sunday. The state Department of Agriculture and Commerce hosted the festival, and Agriculture Commissioner Andy Gipson said people who bought advance tickets for Sunday will receive refunds. He said safety is a priority at the fairgrounds.

“I appreciate the rapid response from the Hinds County Sheriff ’s Office and the Jackson Police Department,” Gipson said in a statement Sunday. “Their quick action in securing the scene prevented others from potentially being hurt.”