State law enforcement officials in Georgia are investigating a mass shooting at a neighborhood block party that left two dead and dozens more wounded early Sunday, Oct. 4.
Gunfire erupted on Pine Street in Vienna, Georgia at around 1:25 a.m. on Oct. 4, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation said in a statement. Dooly County Sheriff’s Office deputies who were patrolling the gathering responded immediately and found "multiple people" who had been shot, including two who were pronounced dead at the scene, the bureau said.
The 35 injured survivors were transported to multiple regional hospitals, the GBI said. Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told reporters some victims were hit by gunfire and others were hit by vehicles.
Peavy said the block party was
almost over when the chaotic scene broke out. He said over 1,000 people were scrambling in every direction, and gunshots continued to ring out as officers responded.
"Even while we were on scene, there was still gunfire about a block away," he said. "While all of us were on scene trying to get attention, medical attention, to the ones that needed it."
Brett Walls, the Dooly County coroner, told USA TODAY that two men, ages 20 and 23, were killed in the shooting and would be autopsied in the coming days by the GBI Medical Examiner's Office.
GBI Special Agent in Charge Jerry Jones told reporters the bureau was not yet prepared to identify a suspect or suspects, but asked anyone who was at the scene to come forward.
"We've been conducting interviews," Jones said. "The crime scene is ongoing, probably will be going for the next several hours, but our goal is to identify — obviously we've identified our victims — but what's critical at this point is identifying anyone that may have information."
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 2 killed, 35 injured in mass shooting at Georgia block party
