Mass shooting in Mississippi, man kills ex-wife and five others

Picture: AP

A man fatally shot his ex-wife and five other people during a rampage in a small rural town in the US state of Mississippi, police say. The incident happened at a store and two homes, in Arkabutla, a community of fewer than 300 people.

The culprit has been identified and has charged the 52-year-old local man with first-degree murder and held him at the county jail. The motive of this attach is still under investigation. Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said that the suspect was acting alone.

The incident began when the gunman entered a petrol station convenience store at around 11:00 local time and shot a man to whom he had no apparent connection. He then went to a nearby home where he fatally shot his ex-wife, and struck her finance. 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.

This incident marks the 73rd mass shooting since the year began, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) non-profit research database.