2 shot dead and dozens injured at neighborhood block party shooting in southern Georgia

Two people were shot to death in a hail of gunfire and nearly three dozen others were injured at a homecoming weekend block party early Sunday morning in southern Georgia, according to state law enforcement officials.

More than 1,000 people were gathered at the site and more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations about a block apart in Vienna, Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ-TV.

Peavy said people were “going every direction” and even while officers were on the scene, there was more gunfire about a block away.

“We don’t know if it’s coming at us or someone else,” he said. “You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and hope you don’t get hit by gunfire.”

The incident took place over homecoming weekend for Dooly County High School.

The shooting was not at a school-sponsored event, said Sherrod Willaford, superintendent of the Dooly County School System.

“We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families, and staff,” he said in a statement. He said schools will open Monday, but additional safety measures have been taken. He did not specify what they are.

Dooly County Sheriff’s Office deputies were on patrol at a neighborhood block party around 1:25 a.m. Sunday in Vienna when shots were fired, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Vienna is about 130 miles (about 209 kilometers) south of Atlanta and about 100 miles (160 kilometers) north of the Florida border.

Deputies found two people dead at the scene and multiple others who had been shot, officials said. Police did not specify how many of the 35 injured had been shot or provide any details about what injuries they had and how serious those were. Victims were taken to several hospitals to be treated, the GBI said.

Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls said the two men, ages 20 and 23, were pronounced dead at the scene with fatal gunshot wounds. He said multiple other people were also shot, calling the scene “horrific.”

Authorities have not said whether any suspects are in custody or currently being sought or what the motive for the shooting may have been.

Vienna Mayor Eddie Daniels said the shooting was about a block away from his house and he “saw a lot of blue lights.” Daniels said he hadn’t spoken with law enforcement officials yet and had no details about what happened.

Daniels said the city hadn’t issued any kind of permit for the block party and he didn’t know if it was a homecoming party.

Georgia Bureau of Investigation spokesperson Lydia Bullard declined to answer questions about the shooting, saying it was an ongoing investigation.

Associated Press reporter Anthony Izaguirre in New York contributed to this report. Bauer reported from Madison, Wisconsin.