DUMAS, Ark. — At least one person was killed and 20 others wounded, including children, in a shooting outside a car show in southeast Arkansas on Saturday evening, local police said.
Dumas Police Chief Keith Finch provided the increased number of casualties but said it wasn’t immediately clear how many kids had been hurt.
One person was in custody, although there may have been multiple shooters, Finch told reporters.
State troopers were dispatched at around 7:25 p.m. to Dumas, located about 90 miles (144 kilometers) south of Little Rock, following a report of gunfire outside a local business where the car show was underway, Arkansas State Police spokesperson Bill Sadler said.
The car show is part of a community event held each spring to raise funds for scholarships and school supplies, according the website of the Delta Neighborhood Empowerment Youth Organization.
Wallace McGehee, the car show’s organizer, expressed condolences to the victims’ families and the community.
“For something like this to happen, it’s a tragedy,” McGehee told KATV at the scene. “We did this here for 16 years without a problem.”
Chris Jones, a Democrat running for Arkansas governor, tweeted that he’d attended the event earlier Saturday, registering voters and enjoying “a positive family atmosphere.”
“I am deeply saddened (and honestly angered) by this tragedy,” Jones said in a statement.
Additional information, including conditions of the wounded, wasn’t immediately available.
