There were reports of an active shooter in the wooded area next to a highway near Slayden, Mississippi on the afternoon of July 31, 2018.
Journalist Annette Peagler wrote on Twitter that the man opened fire on Highway 72, portions of which were shut down as a result.
#BREAKING Mississippi Highway Patrol and Marshall County Sheriff’s Office investigating after man opens fire on Highway 72. The scene is just before you get to Slayden. @LocalMemphis
According to WREG-TV, Marshall County Sheriff Kenny Dickerson “said a man pulled a revolver out of a backpack and opened fire, hitting two vehicles. The occupants of the vehicles were not injured.”
The gunman then fled into a wooded area and might be holed up in a house, the television station reported, adding that authorities were getting ready to enter the home where they think the shooter fled.
According to Fox 13, the “active shooter situation” unfolded on U.S 72, west of Slayden, on the afternoon of July 31, 2018. Details were scant as news of the situation first broke, but there is a massive law enforcement response to the scene.
Per local reporter on scene in Slayden Mississippi, the active shooter is reportedly located in a wooded area near the highway. Multiple resources being contacted.
The television station reports that multiple shots were fired and the SWAT team is headed to the area.
Here’s what you need to know:
The Shooter May Have Been Hidden Near a Travel Center, Reports Say
One woman posted photos on Facebook and wrote, “Attention friends and family active shooter in Slayden Mississippi near travel center hidden in woods shooting cars 72 is blocked off stay inside and lock doors unmarked police are everywhere in our subdivision! Helicopters are flying over our house.”
Another person wrote on the comment thread that law enforcement officers were “all over the place.”
Other reports on social media, unconfirmed by authorities, said the gunman may have been firing at vehicles.
There are no reports at this time of any injures, and the gunman’s name was not released. Authorities had yet to release any additional details of the active shooter situation.
“Our house has been broken into,” wrote one frightened woman on Facebook. “We are okay. I almost went inside the house… We were not at home at the time of the break in. They have the highway shut down and are searching the area. If you are in slayden please lock your doors. We do not know if our dogs are okay so I am beside myself shaking. Please pray.”
This post will be updated as more information is learned about the active shooter situation in Mississippi.