U.S. Police Detain Man After Mississippi Mass Shooting
By Stefan J. Bos, Chief International Correspondent Worthy News
WASHINGTON (Worthy News) – A 52-year-old man remained in custody after allegedly going on a shooting rampage in a rural area of the U.S. state of Mississippi, killing six people, including his ex-wife.
The man, named Richard Dale Crum, used three guns to kill his victims Friday at several locations, including a store and two homes in Arkabutla, a community of fewer than 300 people, police say.
The shootings shocked a community that had not seen such mass violence in more than two decades, the authorities said, following several other shootings in the United States.
Crum, who a family friend said had a history of mental illness, opened fire at about 11 a.m. and killed a man in the driver’s seat of a pickup truck parked outside a convenience store in Arkabutla, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance said.
He then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot his ex-wife and struck but did not shoot her fiance, police said.
Investigators say the gunman then drove to a home next to his residence and fatally shot a man who may have been his stepfather, as well as an unnamed woman
He then shot two people, one inside a car and one on the road, not far from his own home. The final two victims appear to have been construction workers on a job at the site, according to Sheriff Lance.
SUSPECT DISCOVERED
Deputies spotted the suspect inside a vehicle matching witness descriptions and were able to apprehend him near his home after a brief car chase.
“We don’t have a lot of violent crime here. This is shocking,” said Sheriff Lance. “I never dreamt that we would deal with something like that here.”
The Arkabutla shooter likely acted alone, according to Mississippi governor Tate Reeves.
“At this time, we believe he acted alone,” Reeves said in a statement on social media. “His motive is not yet known.”
“Please pray for the victims of this tragic violence and their families at this time,” he added.
The Mississippi shooting comes on the heels of another tragedy in El Paso, Texas.
A shooting at a mall left one person dead and three others wounded, police said, adding that it began as a confrontation between two groups in the food court.
The United States has seen a series of mass shootings at a time when there are calls for controlling the many weapons in the country.
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