Two people were killed and 35 others injured after gunfire erupted during a large neighborhood block party in Vienna, Georgia, early Sunday morning, sending people fleeing and triggering a major state investigation.
Dooly County sheriff’s deputies were already patrolling the gathering when shots were fired around 1:25 a.m. in the 900 block of Pine Street. Deputies found multiple injured people and later discovered two victims who had died several blocks away.
Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy identified the two people killed as Jaquevion Jackson, 21, of Cordele, and McCaleb Jackson, 23, of Hawkinsville. The 35 people injured ranged in age from 14 to 51 and were taken to several hospitals across the region.
More than 1,000 people had gathered in the area during Dooly County High School’s homecoming weekend, although school officials said the block party was not a school-sponsored event. Authorities said more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations, and some people were injured while trying to escape the scene.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is leading the investigation with assistance from local authorities. Investigators spent Sunday interviewing witnesses and following leads, but authorities have not announced any arrests or identified a motive for the shooting.
