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On Friday, February 17, Richard Dale Crum allegedly killed six people in the small town of Arkabutla, Mississipi. The victims included his ex-wife.
Trigger warning: This article contains mentions of mass shooting. Discretion is advised
According to the New York Post, while local Mississippi authorities have not confirmed the motive, they are investigating Richard Dale Crum's recent interactions with his ex-wife.
As per Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance, the initial reports of firing came from the convenience store of a gas station, where one person was killed. Crum then allegedly went to his ex-wife's home, where he is said to have fatally shot her as well.
Authorities later discovered Richard Dale Crum on the premises of his home. They also recovered four more bodies from the vicinity. The suspect reportedly surrendered without a struggle.
He has been charged with first-degree murder, though authorities have stated that he will most likely face additional charges in the coming days.
Authorities suspect that many of the deceased were known to Richard Dale Crum
In an official statement, Tate County Sheriff Brad Lance said that the incident was a rarity in the small hamlet of Arkabutla, which has a population of approximately 300 people. Lance said:
"We don't have a lot of violent crime here. This is shocking."
While the motive is under investigation, authorities have deduced that some of the victims were known to the suspect. The nature of his connection to all of them, however, has not been determined.
Some media outlets reported that after shooting his ex-wife, Crum also shot his stepfather and his stepfather's sister.
Ethan Cash, an 18-year-old who was in the area, said that he was first alerted about the murders by a bystander whose brother was shot. He added that since he had a licensed firearm, he considered shooting Richard Dale Crum, but eventually decided against it as the situation was too chaotic.
Cash said:
"I was going to start shooting at the guy as he was pulling off but I didn't know who exactly it was and I didn't want to hurt anybody, so I kind of let the officers do that. It's their job, anyways."
He also said that it was difficult to pin down the shooter among the chaos:
"It's definitely confusing when it happens, especially when you hear six, seven people are murdered and no one knows why."
Cash added that he attempted to tend to the victim near the scene of the crime at the gas station, but the man eventually died.
In an official statement, President Joe Biden addressed the massacre, stating:
"Jill and I are mourning for the six killed in today's violence in Tate County, Mississippi ."
The case is currently under police investigation.
