Two men are dead and 35 people are injured after gunfire erupted during an early-morning homecoming block party in Vienna, Georgia, on Sunday. Dooly County sheriff's deputies were already patrolling the crowded gathering on Pine Street when shots rang out around 1:25 a.m., setting off a chaotic scene that sent victims scattering to hospitals across the region.
The gunfire broke out in the 900 block of Pine Street, according to WGXA, which reported that deputies on patrol at the block party responded immediately to reports of shots fired. Deputies went on to find the two deceased men nearby in the 600 block of Pine Street, according to WALB. The victims were identified as Ja’Quavion Aderious Jackson, 21, and Macaleb Malik Jackson, 23.
As reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation is now probing the shooting alongside local authorities. The agency confirmed in a statement that it was asked to assist, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, which said the Dooly County Sheriff's Office requested GBI help with the case.
Dozens Hurt, Hospitals Scrambling
WALB reported that victims from the shooting were taken to multiple different hospitals in the area, though the station did not provide a total count of how many were hospitalized. The same account put the overall injury toll at 35.
Not everyone hurt was struck by gunfire. Per WGXA's report, victims' conditions ranged from critical to stable, and some of the injuries at the scene were caused by vehicles rather than bullets. That detail complicates the full scope of what happened on Pine Street as investigators continue piecing together the timeline.
Fox5vegas.com reported that 25 people were taken to the hospital and as many as 35 people may have been injured overall.
Autopsies Ordered, Investigation Active
The GBI Medical Examiner's Office will conduct autopsies on both of the deceased, according to CBS News. No suspect information, arrest, or motive has been confirmed in the reporting so far, and the investigation remains active.
For a small Dooly County community, the scale of the violence at a single neighborhood gathering is jarring — two young men dead, dozens of others injured, and a homecoming celebration turned into a crime scene stretching several blocks. Investigators have not said when they expect to release further details as the case continues to develop.
