A man was killed and 27 injured when two men exchanged gunfire during a car show, part of an annual community event in a small southeastern Arkansas town, authorities said Sunday. Japan.
A person leaving the scene of Saturday night’s shooting was arrested on unrelated charges and is being questioned about the shootings in Dumas, a city of about 4,000 people, a short walk from Little Rock, State Police Colonel Arkansas, about 90 miles (144 km) southeast. Bill Bryant said.
“All we know at this point, there were two individuals who had a gunfight,” Bryant said at a press conference Sunday afternoon.
He said several children were among the injured, including two children under the age of two.
The car show is part of an annual spring community event called Hood-Nic, which stands for neighborhood picnic. The Hood-Nic Foundation says on its website that its mission is to “rebuild, reunite, and meet the needs of the youth in our community.”
The event, which helps raise funds for scholarships and school supplies, also features a bonfire, basketball tournament, musical performance, youth party and hot air ballooning.
“The purpose of Hood-Nic has always been to bring the community together,” the foundation said on its Facebook page. “This senseless violence needs to stop.”
“This is always a family-friendly event with a non-violent message,” said Kris Love-Keys, the foundation’s director of development.
Cameron Shaffer, 23, of Jacksonville, Arkansas, was killed in the shooting, Bryant said. He said authorities had no indication he was involved in the gunfight.
Earlier the same day, Governor Asa Hutchinson said on Twitter that one of the two suspects had been arrested and is being held on unrelated charges. But state police later said only that the person arrested was being questioned.
“As the investigation continues, I will look into the details to see if there are any steps that can be taken to prevent this kind of tragedy,” Hutchinson said.
Six people under the age of 18 with gunshot wounds were taken to Arkansas Children’s Hospital in Little Rock, a spokesman said. Most were released on Sunday afternoon.
Wallace McGehee, the auto show organizer, told KARK that when the bullets started flying, he started “running, diving, down, trying to get the kids out of the way.”
Candace McKinzie, who helped organize the event, told The New York Times that the gunfire seemed to come out of nowhere.
“You’ve gone from laughing and eating and everything to random shooting,” she said.
McKinzie said people started running and tripping over each other and older people fell.
Those shot included McKinzie’s cousin and younger sister. She said both are expected to recover.
Chris Jones, a Democrat running for governor of Arkansas, tweeted that he was at the event early Saturday, registering to vote and enjoying a “positive family atmosphere.”
“I am deeply saddened (and honestly angry) at this tragedy,” Jones said in a statement.
