At least six people have died in a series of shootings in a small rural town in the US state of Mississippi, police say.

All the victims were gunned down at several locations in Arkabutla, about 45 miles (72km) south of Memphis, in neighbouring Tennessee.

Three victims were found dead inside two houses, while others were found inside a store, in a car and on a road.

Police confirmed they have a lone suspect in custody.

The Tate County sheriff's office identified him as a 52-year-old local resident.

He has been charged with first-degree murder, with additional charges to be filed in the coming days, and is being held without bail at the county jail.

The suspect is believed to have acted alone, although his motive is not yet known, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves tweeted on Friday.

The state bureau of investigation is helping police with the investigation.

The rampage began when the gunman entered a store and shot a man at around 11:00 local time (17:00 GMT), Sheriff Brad Lance told Action News 5.

He then went to a nearby home where he shot a woman dead and injured her husband, the sheriff said.

Mr Lance said that the gunman then went to a home believed to be his own residence and killed two more people there.

Deputies spotted the suspect inside a car matching witnesses' descriptions and were able to apprehend him in the driveway of another home after a brief car chase.

Police found two more victims there, one inside a car and one on the road, not far from the other victims in the town of fewer than 300 people.

The suspect was "dressed in camouflage with a long gun", an eyewitness told local media.

A primary and secondary school in nearby Coldwater were placed in lockdown during the incident.

Another witness - Ethan Cash, a 19-year-old local resident - told WREG-TV that he had seen the gun-toting suspect.

Mr Cash said he checked the pulse of the victim who died inside his vehicle.

"This... doesn't happen out here," he said. "This is supposed to be a peaceful place."

Friday's incident marks the 73rd mass shooting since the year began, according to the Gun Violence Archive (GVA) non-profit research database.

GVA defines a mass shooting as an incident in which four or more people are injured or killed.

Source:
courtesy of BBC NEWS

by Sam Cabral | BBC News, Washington DC

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