Men killed in Georgia homecoming party mass shooting identified as search for suspects continues

More than a day after a Georgia homecoming block party erupted in gunfire, law enforcement officials are attempting to piece together what happened and identify possible suspects.

The shooting early Sunday morning in the city of Vienna, about 50 miles south of Macon, left two people dead and another 35 injured, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said.

On Sunday night, Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy identified the two people killed as 21-year-old Ja’Quavion Aderious Jackson, of Cordele, and 23-year-old Macaleb Malik Jackson of Hawkinsville. Peavy did not say if the two were related.

The 35 people injured ranged in age from 14 to 51. Peavy said some were in critical condition and others were stable. Many remain hospitalized.

According to the GBI, shots were fired around 1:25 a.m. at the party on Pine Street, which was to celebrate a local homecoming. Peavy told CBS affiliate WMAZ that more than 1,000 people had gathered for the party, which spanned multiple blocks. Deputies were near the scene when the shooting began, Peavy said, and after they arrived more gunfire erupted about a block 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.”

Authorities have shared few details about what led up to the shooting and have not given a possible motive for the gunfire. As of Monday afternoon, officials have not taken anyone into custody.

Peavy said the festivities began Friday night, and that it had “gone well” with “respect from the community” that evening as deputies patrolled the event.

But the party Saturday night was a “different story,” he said.

“We’re still working through the investigation to see what went wrong. But at large parties with people from different places, not just your locals, sometimes problems come,” he said.

“Our deputies were just about on the scene when it happened. They were at the end of each, most directions of where the block party was being held. But it was so many people. And it was just hard to figure out what was going on,” he said.

Authorities said that they did not believe there is a continuing threat to the public at this time.

The GBI has activated six investigative work units from across Georgia to assist with the case. GBI Director Chris Hosey said that his agency’s goal is to identify those involved and gather information. Investigators were interviewing individuals about the shooting, but no one was in custody, Hosey said.

Authorities are asking anyone with information about the case to call the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Perry at 478-987-4545 or the agency’s tip line at 1-800-597-8477, online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online.

The shooting was not at a school-sponsored event, Sherrod Willaford, superintendent of the Dooly County School System, said in a statement released on Facebook.

“The Dooly County School System is deeply saddened by the overnight shooting in Vienna. Our hearts are with the families grieving the loss of loved ones, those who were injured, and everyone affected by this tragedy. We are grateful for the compassion and support being demonstrated throughout our community, and those affected remain in our thoughts and prayers,” he wrote.

Schools will open Monday with additional safety measures put in place, Willaford said. He did not specify what those measures were.

“Student and staff safety remain our highest priority,” he wrote.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.