More than 1,000 people were at the gathering in Vienna when 50 shots rang out

NEED TO KNOW

• Two men, ages 20 and 23, are dead and more than 30 others are injured after a shooting broke out at a block party in Georgia
• More than 1,000 people were at the gathering for Dooly County High School’s homecoming weekend in Vienna when 50 shots rang out
• The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said some victims were injured by vehicles as attendees fled the shooting

Two men, ages 20 and 23, are dead and more than 30 others are injured after a shooting broke out at a block party in Georgia.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) shared in a press release that deputies with the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office were patrolling in Vienna, located about 50 miles outside Macon, on Sunday, Oct. 4, when shots rang out on the 900 block of Pine Street at around 1:25 a.m.

Deputies were already at the scene monitoring the neighborhood block party. They found multiple people with gunshot wounds, as well as two people several blocks away that were pronounced dead at the scene. Thirty-five people were injured, the GBI said, and the victims were taken to area hospitals for treatment.

Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told local outlet WMAZ that more than 1,000 people had gathered around Pine Street for the weekend festivities, and people started “going every direction” when more than 50 shots rang out.

While deputies were at the scene, they heard more gunshots ring out blocks away.

“We don’t know if it’s coming at us or someone else,” he said. “You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and hope you don’t get hit by gunfire.”

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE’s free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases.

According to the sheriff, several of the victims were injured when they were hit by cars, as people were trying to leave the scene.

The Associated Press reported that the gathering was a part of homecoming weekend for Dooly County High School, but Sherrod Willaford, superintendent of the Dooly County School System, clarified that the shooting was not at a school-sponsored event.

“We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families and staff,” Willaford told the outlet, adding that schools will open Monday with additional safety measures in place.

The names of the two people killed have not yet been released, but Dooly Coroner Brett Walls told WMAZ that the victims were both men, ages 20 and 23. The GBI Medical Examiner’s Office is set to conduct the autopsies.

Authorities have not shared whether there are currently any suspects in the case, and they have not yet shared a motive in the shooting.

The investigation is still ongoing. The GBI asked anyone with information about the shooting to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Perry at (478) 987-4545, or anonymously at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or online at gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.

#Dead #People #Wounded #Shooting #Crowded #Homecoming #Weekend #Block #Party #Georgia