On October 11, 2025, a mass shooting left seven dead during high school homecoming celebrations in Leland, Mississippi. The attack took place shortly after midnight on Main Street in Leland, a small city in Washington County. Four people were killed at the scene and three others later died in the hospital.[1][2] Eighteen people were wounded by gunfire, three of them critically.[3][4]
The shooting was part of a series of unrelated shootings on the same weekend that left two people dead in Heidelberg, two injured in Rolling Fork, one dead and two injured near Lorman, and one injured in Jackson. The Mississippi Bureau of Investigation (MBI) launched an inquiry into the Leland shooting, which local authorities described as the most serious act of violence to affect the community in recent years.
As of 2023, Mississippi had the second highest rate of deaths by firearm in the country, with 29.4 deaths per 100,000 people for a total of 844 fatalities. Only the nation's capital, Washington D.C., had a higher rate of firearm mortality.[5]
Leland is a small city in Washington County, Mississippi, located in the Mississippi Delta region. From 2021 to 2024, Washington County had the second highest rate of gun homicides in the country, only behind the city of St. Louis in Missouri, with 68.6 gun homicides per 100,000 residents.[6]
Shooting
The shooting happened around midnight on October 11, 2025, as people gathered on Main Street after the game. The shooting occurred during the city's annual celebration following the high school's homecoming football game, which draws large crowds of residents and visitors. Local police were assisted by county and state law enforcement during the emergency response.[citation needed]
It reportedly started due to a disagreement among individuals which escalated into a shooting, causing multiple casualties.[7]
Victims
Eighteen people were shot, seven of whom died, and a further seven people suffered non-gunshot injuries.[8] Four victims were pronounced dead at the scene, while three others died later at hospitals in the region.[7][2] The injured were transported to nearby medical facilities, with some airlifted to Jackson for advanced treatment. The Washington County coroner identified those killed at the scene as Oreshama Johnson, 41; Calvin Plant, 19; Shelbyona Powell, 25; and Kaslyn Johnson, 18. Amos Brantley Jr., 18, and LaMichael Jones, 34, died the following morning.[1] On October 18, 25-year-old Ebanee Williams died.[2]
Investigation
The MBI led the inquiry with assistance from local and county law enforcement.[9] No arrests were announced immediately after the shooting.[10] The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) sought four suspects in connection to the shooting, three men and one woman.[7]
On October 13, the FBI announced that they had arrested Teviyon L. Powell and William Bryant, both aged 29, and Morgan Lattimore, aged 25, and had charged them with capital murder. A fourth person, 44-year-old Latoya A. Powell, was also arrested, but was charged with attempted murder. A spokesperson for the FBI also said that more arrests were expected.[11] A day later, the FBI announced the arrest of 33-year-old Terrogernal Martin and charged him with capital murder. The agency also said that they were seeking three more suspects, two women and a man. It was also disclosed that Teviyon L. Powell and Latoya A. Powell were aunt and nephew, and that the deceased victim, Shelbyona Powell, was Latoya's niece.[12] On October 16, the FBI announced the arrest of four more suspects, but did not immediately release the identities of the new arrestees.[13]
Aftermath
Following the attack, local officials imposed temporary curfews and canceled public events.[14] State and community leaders expressed condolences to the victims' families and urged cooperation with investigators.[9]
Additional shootings
Four additional shootings occurred in Mississippi on the same weekend during homecoming celebrations. In Heidelberg, located about 320 km (200 mi) southeast of Leland, a shooting during the local school's homecoming events left two people dead, and another man suffered fatal non-gunshot injuries.[4][15][16] A second shooting took place in Rolling Fork, approximately 65 km (40 mi) south of Leland, during a football event at South Delta High School. Two people were reported injured in that incident, and two suspects were arrested and charged. Police did not confirm any connection between the three shootings.[4]
The third shooting happened at Alcorn State University's Lorman campus. At approximately 6:30p.m., officers responded to reports of shots fired near the Industrial Technology Building. Three gunshot victims were located, of whom a woman suffered fatal injuries, and no arrests were immediately made.[17] Near Jackson State University's Mississippi Veterans Memorial Stadium at approximately 6:15p.m., four cars were damaged by a fire that reportedly started in one vehicle and spread to the others.[18] About an hour after the fire, a child was shot in the abdomen.[17]
Governor Tate Reeves posted on social media in reaction to the shootings in Heidelberg and Leland, calling the incidents "senseless acts of violence" and pledged that the perpetrators would be brought to justice.[21]
The mayor of Leland, John Lee, commented that the shooting "affected every one of us" and called on people to come together and work towards a solution to "prevent anything like this from happening again".[22] Lee also described the feeling in the city as "kind of numbness" in the immediate aftermath of the shooting.[23]
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