The remainder of the Mississippi Mudbug Festival has been canceled after a shooting in the parking lot of the fairgrounds on Saturday night that left one person dead and multiple injured.
A handful of songs into Blue Öyster Cult’s set, gunshots could be heard from behind which led to swarms of people rushing into the Mississippi Coliseum.
According to Hinds County Sheriff Tyree Jones, six people in total were shot. The one person who was killed is believed to have been shot by a police officer. Four of the individuals were reportedly in stable condition at the University of Mississippi Medical Center.
“The victim that is deceased is possibly due to the officer-involved shooting,” Jones said. “Mississippi Bureau of Investigation has been contacted. They have arrived here on the scene to assist and conduct their investigation as well. So as you all know, at this particular time, there are still a lot of questions that we have as it relates to this incident. We are asking anybody with any information regarding the motive for this incident, others that may be involved or have knowledge of this incident as well, to please contact your local law enforcement agency.”
Jones also added that two juveniles were being held as of 11 p.m. last night for questioning.
The festivities were planned to go on for one more day with two-time GRAMMY-winning artist Bobby Rush set to perform at 3 p.m. on Sunday, but due to the situation at hand, there will be no more activities on the fairgrounds throughout the weekend.
If you purchased a ticket for Sunday through Ticketmaster, it will automatically be refunded. If you went through the Mississippi Coliseum Box Office, you will have to bring tickets to the box office next week to receive a refund. The Coliseum Box Office is open Monday through Friday 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
