A 52-year-old man armed with three guns went on a shooting rampage in a rural Mississippi county on Friday, killing six people, with his ex-wife and stepfather reportedly among the victims.
The man, identified as Richard Dale Crum, of Arkabutla, Mississippi, who was in custody on Friday afternoon, began his killing spree around 11 a.m.
Crum was Wearing Camouflage, was Armed with a Rifle
Crum first drove to a convenience store in his hometown, which has about 290 residents, and fatally shot a man who appeared to have no connection to him, said Brad Lance, the Tate County sheriff. Witnesses described Crum as being armed with a long weapon.
From there, the alleged gunman drove to the home of his ex-wife and shot her, as well as struck her fiancé who was in the home at the time. Next, he went to a residence behind his house, shooting a man who investigators believe is Crum’s stepfather, as well as another woman in the house at the time.
Last, on a road near Mr. Crum’s house that leads to a church, he fatally shot two men who investigators believe may have been doing some kind of construction work for either his stepfather or Crum, Sheriff Lance said.
Crum Charged with Murder, Motive Unknown
Mr. Crum was charged with one count of first-degree murder, and more charges are expected in the coming days, Sheriff Lance said, adding that he being held without bond in the Tate County Jail. The motive behind Crum’s shooting spree is not yet known.
The killing spree in Arkabutla came as the country continued to reel from a persistent spate of gun violence, including an attack on the campus of Michigan State University this week that left three students dead.
The shooting in Mississippi sadly wasn’t the only mass killing in 2023. According to the Gun Violence Archive, there have been at least 73 mass shootings this year. The shooting in Arkabutla also came just a day after one person was killed and another three were wounded in El Paso, Texas, in a shootout at a mall.
