Two people, including a Jackson State University student, were killed and six others were injured after gunmen opened fire inside a Mississippi nightclub during a Halloween celebration.
According to the Mississippi Free Press, two masked men entered the Hideaway nightclub in Jackson around 1 a.m. Sunday (November 1), and one opened fire on the crowd. Jackson Police Chief RaShell Brackney said high-powered rifles were used in the shooting.
The Jackson Police Department identified the two people killed as Lovdia Poindexter, 20, and Jada Henderson, 18. Henderson was a Jackson State University student and four of the six people injured also attended JSU, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
Police said all eight victims were under 21. Two JSU sophomores who attended the party told WLBT they left around 12:30 a.m., approximately 30 minutes before the shooting.
After leaving the party, the students said they began receiving messages from concerned friends after news of the shooting spread. They later learned that someone they knew was one of the victims who was shot and transported to the hospital.
“I’m heartbroken that two of my peers have lost their lives at the exact same place I was at right after I left,” Naomi Francillon, a sophomore at JSU, told WLBT. “I’m thankful that I’m here, and then it’s like, I don’t know if I’m dealing with survivor’s guilt or what it is.”
Jackson State addressed the shooting in a statement shared to social media Monday (November 2), writing, “Our hearts remain devastated for our students who were victims of this violence.”
The university added that it would “lean on one another and embody what it means to be family” as the community processes the tragedy.
The statement also noted that undergraduate classes would be canceled Monday and Tuesday (November 3), while graduate courses would move to virtual instruction. The university said counseling services would be available to students and employees who need support.
No arrests have been announced, and police have not identified a motive, according to the Mississippi Free Press.
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