Georgia block party turns deadly as shooting kills 2 and injures dozens

Two people were killed and dozens more injured after gunfire erupted at a neighbourhood block party attended by more than 1,000 people in southern Georgia early on Sunday, authorities said.

The shooting happened at about 1:25 AM in Vienna during homecoming weekend for Dooly County High School, according to the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Officials said the gathering was not a school-sponsored event.

Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ-TV that more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations about a block apart.

According to CNN, Peavy said people were “going every direction” as officers responded. More shots were fired nearby while police were already at the scene.

“We don’t know if it’s coming at us or someone else. You just have to keep doing what you’re doing and hope you don’t get hit by gunfire,” Peavy told WMAZ-TV.

Two men, aged 20 and 23, were pronounced dead from gunshot wounds, Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls said.

Authorities said 35 others were injured, although it remains unclear how many suffered gunshot wounds.

Walls described the scene as “horrific,” telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that some people were injured while trying to escape.