Authorities in Leland, Mississippi, are asking the public for help after four people were killed and 12 others were injured in a mass shooting that erupted at a gathering in the small town’s center Friday night.
Leland Mayor John Lee, speaking at a news conference Saturday night, said the city was experiencing a “great loss” and asked for prayers.
On Friday, state Sen. Derrick Simmons told Jackson ABC affiliate WAPT People were at a gathering after Leland High School’s homecoming game when the shooting occurred.
Police vehicles are parked after a deadly Friday night shooting in downtown Leland, Mississippi, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Katie Adkins/AP
Aside from providing the number of dead and injured, the mayor did not provide many other details about the shooting.
“Everything else is under investigation,” he said during Saturday’s news conference. “We don’t I have some information on who shot it or something. “But we’re here to get to the bottom of this.”
Robert Eickhoff, special agent in charge of the FBI field office in Jackson, Mississippi, did not provide details but said several times that authorities were looking for “subjects” in connection with the shooting.
“People who were enjoying themselves for the last time found themselves facing violence that no community should have to face,” Eickhoff said, urging the public to come forward with any information they may have.
“You might have seen something,” he said. “You may have heard something or know someone who has.”
Friends and family of victims of a homecoming shooting hug in downtown Leland, Mississippi, Saturday, Oct. 11, 2025.
Katie Adkins/AP
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is also assisting in the investigation, providing DNA analysis and also work to potentially match the casings to other firearms using a national automated system.
“This could have easily happened in another city like it happened here in Leland, Mississippi,” said Lee, the mayor.
The city of about 3,600 people is located about 115 miles north of Jackson.
A series of other shootings in Mississippi
The update on Friday night’s shooting came amid a series of shootings across the state this weekend.
On Saturday, the Mississippi Bureau of Investigation said it was investigating a shooting at Alcorn State University in Lorman, Mississippi, that left one person dead and two others injured.
The shooting prompted a shelter-in-place order to be issued on campus.
Authorities said the shooting occurred around 6:30 p.m. local time near the campus’ Industrial Technology Building. No arrest had been made.
About a half-hour later, Jackson authorities said a child was shot in the abdomen near a section of the back gate of Jackson State University’s stadium. The child was taken to the hospital. There is no update on his condition.
On Friday night, two people were killed in a shooting in Heidelberg, Mississippi, on the grounds of a high school, according to the ABC affiliate. Wdam.
The Jasper County Sheriff’s Office later said it had detained an 18-year-old man for questioning in connection with the shooting.
