Georgia Homecoming Celebration Shooting Leaves 2 Dead, 35 Injured

U.S.NewsPoliticsTechFact CheckSportsGlobalIran WarRussia-UkraineMiddle EastChina And AsiaLive BlogBetter PlanetAll World NewsLifestyleFamily & ParentingEntertainmentTravelPetsAutomotiveRelationshipsScienceHealthPersonal FinanceBetter WorkplacesReaders ChoiceOpinionMy TurnAll OpinionRankingsHealthFinanceProductsEducationWorkplacesCorporate ResponsibilityAll RankingsWatchThe 1600The Royal ReportUnconventionalFrom The PaddockNewsmakersExtraNewslettersDare to DreamEventsEssaysPodcastsVantageInsightsMagazineCEO CircleAnnouncementsLeadershipDev Pragad Two people were killed and 35 others were injured after gunfire erupted at a neighborhood block party in central Georgia early Sunday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI). The shooting happened around 1:25 a.m. in Vienna, a city in Dooly County about 100 miles south of Atlanta, during a homecoming weekend celebration. In a statement emailed to Newsweek on Sunday, the GBI said Dooly County Sheriff's Office deputies were patrolling the event when shots were fired from the 900 block of Pine Street. Newsweek reached out to the Dooly County Sheriff's Office by phone, as well as the Dooly County School District via email for comment Sunday. The shooting is among the deadliest mass-casualty incidents reported in Georgia this year and comes as communities across the country continue to grapple with gun violence at large public gatherings. The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter. The victims who were killed were found in the 600 block of Pine Street and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not yet been released. The victims' bodies will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner's Office for autopsies, local station WMAZ reported. Investigators have not disclosed a motive, released information about possible suspects or said whether multiple shooters may have been involved. Democratic state Representative Patty Stinson, whose district includes Dooly County, told WMAZ she was "very heartbroken" by the violence. "It was very heartbreaking to wake up this morning to learn that a mass shooting took place in Vienna," Stinson said. "I'm so sorry this has happened to all of these families who have been affected." Homecoming Celebration Turns Deadly The shooting occurred during a neighborhood block party associated with Vienna's homecoming celebrations. Earlier Sunday, Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ that more than 1,000 people had gathered for the festivities and that at least 50 shots were fired. Peavy said deputies responded immediately after the shooting began. The sheriff also told the station that some injuries occurred as people fled the area, with several victims reportedly struck by vehicles during the chaos. The GBI said victims were taken to several regional hospitals for treatment. What Happens Next The GBI and Dooly County Sheriff's Office are continuing to investigate what led to the shooting. In its latest update, the GBI said the investigation remains "active and ongoing" and urged anyone with information to contact the agency's Regional Investigative Office in Perry. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office for review and possible prosecution. Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.By Hollie SilvermanNews Editor

0ShareNewsweek is a Trust Project memberSee more of our trusted coverage when you search.Prefer Newsweek on Googleto see more of our trusted coverage when you search.Two people were killed and 35 others were injured after gunfire erupted at a neighborhood block party in central Georgia early Sunday morning, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI).

The shooting happened around 1:25 a.m. in Vienna, a city in Dooly County about 100 miles south of Atlanta, during a homecoming weekend celebration. In a statement emailed to Newsweek on Sunday, the GBI said Dooly County Sheriff’s Office deputies were patrolling the event when shots were fired from the 900 block of Pine Street.

Newsweek reached out to the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office by phone, as well as the Dooly County School District via email for comment Sunday.

The shooting is among the deadliest mass-casualty incidents reported in Georgia this year and comes as communities across the country continue to grapple with gun violence at large public gatherings.

The Gun Violence Archive (GVA) defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are shot, excluding the shooter.

The victims who were killed were found in the 600 block of Pine Street and were pronounced dead at the scene. Their identities have not yet been released. The victims’ bodies will be taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies, local station WMAZ reported.

Investigators have not disclosed a motive, released information about possible suspects or said whether multiple shooters may have been involved.

Democratic state Representative Patty Stinson, whose district includes Dooly County, told WMAZ she was “very heartbroken” by the violence.

“It was very heartbreaking to wake up this morning to learn that a mass shooting took place in Vienna,” Stinson said. “I’m so sorry this has happened to all of these families who have been affected.”

The shooting occurred during a neighborhood block party associated with Vienna’s homecoming celebrations.

Earlier Sunday, Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ that more than 1,000 people had gathered for the festivities and that at least 50 shots were fired. Peavy said deputies responded immediately after the shooting began.

The sheriff also told the station that some injuries occurred as people fled the area, with several victims reportedly struck by vehicles during the chaos. The GBI said victims were taken to several regional hospitals for treatment.

The GBI and Dooly County Sheriff’s Office are continuing to investigate what led to the shooting.

In its latest update, the GBI said the investigation remains “active and ongoing” and urged anyone with information to contact the agency’s Regional Investigative Office in Perry. Once the investigation is complete, the case will be turned over to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review and possible prosecution.

Newsweek’s reporters and editors used Martyn, our AI assistant, to produce this story. Learn more about Martyn here. Contact Newsweek editors for this story: Steve Mollman and Anthony Murray.