Two Dead and 35 Hurt After Gunfire at Georgia Homecoming Party

More than 1,000 people had gathered along Pine Street for a homecoming weekend party when gunfire sent the crowd running in every direction. Two men, ages 20 and 23, died, and 35 people were injured, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. The shooting unfolded in Vienna, a small city in central Georgia, in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 4. ^11,2

The gunfire began around 1:25 a.m. as Dooly County Sheriff’s Office deputies patrolled the gathering. Investigators say shots came from the 900 block of Pine Street; deputies later found the two men dead in the 600 block. Sheriff Craig Peavy told local TV station WMAZ that shots were fired at roughly 50 people in at least two places about a block apart. He said more than 50 shots were fired. Around 25 injured people went to hospitals, while the total number of injured reached 35. ^20,16

Not all 35 injuries came from bullets. Officials said some people were hit by vehicles as the crowd tried to escape, and two injured people were in critical condition. The shooting left families grieving and dozens needing care; officials have not released the victims’ names. Authorities have not announced an arrest or said what led to the gunfire. The GBI is helping county deputies investigate, but key facts about who fired and why remain unknown. ^2,23

The GBI says the investigation is ongoing, and autopsies will be done at its Medical Examiner’s Office. Anyone with information can contact the bureau’s Perry office or send an anonymous tip, investigators said. For now, officials have not publicly named a suspect or motive, and the two men’s identities remain withheld while their families are notified. ^20,23