In a mass shooting in Mississippi, a gunman killed six people, including his ex-wife and stepfather.
The deaths occurred at various locations in Arkabutla, Tate County, a small rural hamlet near the Tennessee border.
Suspect Richard Dale Crum killed a guy in the driver’s seat of his truck, which was parked outside a shop, armed with a shotgun and two handguns.
He then went to a nearby house and fatally shot his ex-wife and injured her current husband.
Ultimately, the 52-year-old returned to his own neighbourhood, where authorities discovered the deaths of his stepfather and stepfather’s sister in a neighbouring house.
Two other workers’ remains were recovered, one in a car and the other on the road.
Crum was apprehended on the spot.
‘That’s the terrifying part.’
Crum was initially arrested for the death of 59-year-old Chris Eugene Boyce in his truck.
Debra Crum, 60, Charles Manuel, 76, John Rorie, 59, George McCain, 78, and Lynda McCain, 78, have been named as the other fatalities.
“Everyone has crime, and we have violent crime from time to time, but nothing of this level,” Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance said.
“The frightening aspect is not knowing what started this.”
Witness Ethan Cash told WREG-TV that he checked for Mr Boyce’s pulse after hearing a gunshot from inside his house.
‘This has been something different.’
Mister Boyce was Mr. Washington’s nephew, according to Norma Washington. She stated that he and his brother, Doug, who escaped unscathed, were clearing up a property inherited from their late uncle.
“First it was my brother, and now it’s this one,” Ms Washington said. “This has been extraordinary.”
Crum had no idea who either of the brothers were.
Arkabutla is located about 30 miles (50 kilometres) south of Memphis, Tennessee, and has a population of 285 people. It is situated near Arkabutla Lake, a renowned fishing and leisure site.
According to April Wade, a local, the neighbourhood is so small that everyone knows everyone else.
“I think it’s insane,” she admitted. “It’s unusual for something like that to happen so close to home.”
President Joseph Biden and First Lady Jill Biden both expressed their condolences for the six dead and their prayers for the survivors. He asked Congress to pass gun-control legislation to combat what he called a “epidemic” of gun violence.
