2025 Leland shooting
| 2025 Leland shooting | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Location | Leland, Mississippi, U.S. |
| Coordinates | 33°24′23″N 90°53′54″W / 33.4065°N 90.8982°W |
| Date | October 11, 2025 |
Attack type | Mass shooting |
| Deaths | 6 |
| Injured | 10 |
On October 11, 2025, a mass shooting left six dead during high school homecoming celebrations in Leland, Mississippi. The attack took place shortly after midnight on Main Street in Leland, a small city in Washington County. Four people were killed at the scene and two others later died in the hospital.[1] Ten people were wounded by gunfire, four of them critical.[2][3]
The shooting was part of a series of unrelated shootings on the same weekend that left two people dead in Heidelberg, two injured in Rolling Fork, one dead and two injured near Lorman, and one injured in Jackson. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) launched an inquiry into the Leland shooting, which local authorities described as the most serious act of violence to affect the community in recent years.
The incident is currently the deadliest mass shooting in the United States in 2025.
Background
[edit]Leland is a small city in Washington County, Mississippi, located in the Mississippi Delta region. The shooting occurred during the city's annual celebration following the high school's homecoming football game, which draws large crowds of residents and visitors. Local police were assisted by county and state law enforcement during the emergency response.
Shooting
[edit]The shooting happened around midnight on October 11, 2025, as people gathered on Main Street after the game. It reportedly started due to a disagreement among individuals which escalated into a shooting, causing multiple casualties.[4]
Victims
[edit]Sixteen people were shot, six of whom died. Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while two others died later at hospitals in the region.[4] The injured were transported to nearby medical facilities, with some airlifted to Jackson for advanced treatment. The names of the victims were initially withheld pending family notification.[5] The Washington County coroner later identified those killed at the scene as Oreshama Johnson, 41; Calvin Plant, 19; Shelbyona Powell, 25; and Kaslyn Johnson, 18. Amos Brantley Jr., 18, and LaMichael Jones, 34, died the following morning.[1]
Investigation
[edit]The MBI led the inquiry with assistance from local and county law enforcement.[6] No arrests were announced immediately after the shooting.[7] The FBI sought four suspects in connection to the shooting, three men and one woman.[4]
Other shootings
[edit]Four additional shootings occurred in Mississippi on the same weekend during homecoming celebrations. In Heidelberg, located about 320 km (200 mi) southeast of Leland, a shooting during the local school's homecoming events left two people dead. Authorities stated that an 18-year-old man was being sought for questioning.[3] A second shooting took place in Rolling Fork, approximately 65 km (40 mi) south of Leland, during a football event at South Delta High School. Two people were reported injured in that incident, and two suspects were arrested and charged. Police did not confirm any connection between the three shootings.[3]
The third shooting happened at Alcorn State University's Lorman campus. At approximately 6:30 p.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired near the Industrial Technology Building. Three gunshot victims were located, of whom a woman suffered fatal injuries, and no arrests were immediately made.[8] Near Jackson State University's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium at approximately 6:15 p.m., four cars were damaged by a fire that reportedly started in one vehicle and spread to the others.[9] About an hour after the fire, a child was shot in the abdomen.[8]
A day after the Leland shooting, a shooting at a bar on St. Helena Island in South Carolina, which was hosting an alumni event for Battery Creek High School, killed four people and injured 20 others.[10]
Aftermath
[edit]Following the attack, local officials imposed temporary curfews and canceled public events.[5] State and community leaders expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged cooperation with investigators.[6]
See also
[edit]- Crime in Mississippi
- List of mass shootings in the United States
- 2025 Montgomery shooting, another mass shooting after a football game
- 2025 Saint Helena Island shooting, a mass shooting which happened a day later
References
[edit]- ^ a b Edwards, Kevin (October 11, 2025). "Update: Eight Dead and At Least 10 Injured Friday in Trio of Mississippi Shootings, One Arrest in Heidelberg". Mississippi Free Press. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ "4 dead in shooting that injured others after homecoming football game in Mississippi, official says". AP News. October 11, 2025. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c Empson, Olivia (October 11, 2025). "Four people dead in shooting during Mississippi homecoming celebration". The Guardian. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ a b c Howell, Kaitlin (October 12, 2025). "FBI seeks suspects in Leland mass shooting". KJTV-TV. Retrieved October 12, 2025.
- ^ a b "At Least 4 Dead, 12 Injured During Miss. Homecoming Game Mass Shooting. Police Now Have an 18-Year-Old in Custody". People.com. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Empson, Olivia (October 11, 2025). "Six people dead with multiple injured in three shootings at Mississippi homecoming weekends". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Adkins, Katie; español, JEFF MARTIN Leer en (October 11, 2025). "Mississippi school homecoming celebrations turn deadly as 6 people are killed in separate shootings". AP News. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ a b Dankins, Pam (October 11, 2025). "Shootings break out at Jackson State, Alcorn State on homecomings in MS. 1 dead at Alcorn". The Clarion-Ledger. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Carter, Cordaveon (October 11, 2025). "Multiple cars catch fire outside Jackson State homecoming". WAPT. Retrieved October 11, 2025.
- ^ Levine, Lewis (October 12, 2025). "Shooting at packed South Carolina bar kills 4 and injures at least 20 others". Associated Press. Retrieved October 12, 2025.