Vienna Gunfire Leaves Two Dead and Thirty-Five Hurt at a Homecoming Party

Two people are dead and 35 more are hurt after gunfire tore through a homecoming block party in Vienna, Georgia, a town of fewer than 3,000 people. Shots rang out at about 1:25 a.m. Sunday from the 900 block of Pine Street, and deputies already on patrol found the two dead in the 600 block. No arrest has been announced, and investigators say they still do not have a motive.

Vienna Gunfire Leaves Two Dead and Thirty-Five Hurt at a Homecoming Party

Vienna, Georgia — A neighborhood block party marking Dooly County High School's homecoming weekend turned lethal early Sunday, when gunfire broke out shortly after 1:25 a.m. and sent a crowd of more than a thousand people running into the dark.

What Happened on Pine Street

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the shots came from the 900 block of Pine Street. Deputies found the two people who died in the 600 block of Pine Street. Both were pronounced dead at the scene from gunshot wounds.

Investigators are working two main scenes, according to the GBI and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution: the intersection of West Pine Street and Jane Street, and Jane Street and Snyder Street. The party itself stretched across a four-block radius, the Associated Press reported.

Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ-TV that more than 50 shots were fired in at least two locations about a block apart. He said the crowd was so thick that deputies had stopped letting people into the area. "It all took place right here, but it was so thick with people," Peavy said.

Two Dead, and a Disagreement About Their Names

Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy, speaking at a Sunday evening news conference, identified the dead as 21-year-old Jaquevion Jackson of Cordele and 23-year-old Macaleb Jackson of Hawkinsville, Georgia. Peavy did not say whether the two were related.

That account is not the only one. Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls told CBS News, CNN, USA TODAY and the AP that the two killed were "both men, ages 20 and 23." Local station 41NBC/WMGT named the second victim "Michaela Jackson" of Hawkinsville and spelled the first name "Jaquavion Jackson." WALB/Gray News spelled them "JaQuevion Jackson, 21" and "Macaleb Jackson, 23." The spelling in the widest circulation, through the AP, is Jaquevion Jackson and Macaleb Jackson.

Both versions remain in the public record. No outlet has reconciled them.

Thirty-Five Injured, Ages 14 to 51

The GBI says 35 people were injured, ranging in age from 14 to 51, with conditions from stable to critical. Not all of them were shot.

Peavy told USA TODAY and WMAZ that some victims were hit by gunfire and others were struck by vehicles as drivers scrambled to get out. Coroner Walls told the AJC that multiple people were hit by bullets and roughly a dozen others were hurt while trying to flee, including some in a car wreck.

The GBI has not said how many of the 35 were shot. Director Chris Hosey said he could not provide a number. "We're still trying to work through that," he said.

Half the Size of the Whole Town

Peavy told WMAZ that more than 1,000 people had gathered for the party. He told the AJC the crowd was an estimated 1,500 — a gathering, he said, that had swelled to half the size of the whole town.

Vienna's population was just under 3,000 in the 2020 U.S. Census. The town sits about 130 miles south of Atlanta and roughly a 50-mile drive south of Macon along the Interstate 75 corridor, in Dooly County.

Ashley Gee, 30, of Vienna, told the AJC she had just picked up food from a tent when the shooting started. She described what she remembered as a constant barrage that sounded "like a machine gun." Then one person ran, and everybody ran. She took cover under a table until she thought it was safe.

The Deputies Were Already There

Deputies were on patrol at the party when the shots began. Peavy had posted extra deputies in Vienna for homecoming weekend.

The sheriff said the streets were packed, that his people had stopped letting anyone else into the area because of the crowd, and that the darkness made everything worse. Some people thought the shots were fireworks at first.

Gunfire continued while officers were on scene. "Even while we were on scene, there was still gunfire about a block away," Peavy said. "While all of us were on scene trying to get attention, medical attention, to the ones that needed it."

He described the position his deputies were in: "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, who said he has worked the job 42 years, called it "life-altering." He added: "We've never had this many people affected from one incident, and it's heartbreaking and sad, and it's senseless."

What Investigators Will Not Say Yet

No arrest has been announced. No suspect has been named. No charge has been filed, and no motive has been given.

GBI Special Agent in Charge Jerry Jones told reporters the bureau was not yet prepared to identify a suspect or suspects. He asked anyone who was at the scene to come forward. "We've been conducting interviews," Jones said. "The crime scene is ongoing, probably will be going for the next several hours, but our goal is to identify — obviously we've identified our victims — but what's critical at this point is identifying anyone that may have information."

GBI spokesperson Lydia Bullard declined to answer questions, citing an ongoing investigation. Director Hosey said the initial shooting started near the center of the party where many people were gathered, and that it continued after people scattered. He did not publicly identify suspects and said he did not anticipate any threats to the public.

A Hospital Flooded After Midnight

Crisp Regional Hospital, about nine miles from the scene and designated a Level III trauma center, said patients began arriving not long after 2 a.m. Officials there said they activated trauma and emergency protocols and brought in all available personnel, including trauma teams, doctors, nurses and surgical teams.

Crisp Regional said it had seen 26 victims from the shooting as of 2 p.m. Sunday. Two patients were transferred elsewhere, two required emergency surgery, several were admitted, and many were treated and released.

The wire counts differ. CBS News said 25 of those injured were hospitalized. WALB/Gray News said at least 25 people were shot and taken to the hospital, and that as many as 35 people may have been injured.

Hospital CEO Steven Gautney issued a statement: "The tragic events of this morning simply should not happen in our otherwise peaceful South Georgia communities... we extend our deepest, most heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families and everyone affected by this tragedy."

Vienna, Georgia, One Red Light

Bethel Baptist Church, a 162-year-old congregation about a half-mile down the street from the scene, let out services around noon Sunday. Pastor Bobby G. West, a 60-year church member and pastor for 27 years, said he planned to open his church to anyone who needed to talk to grief counselors.

"I've done cried two or three times," West said. "This is Vienna, Georgia. Vienna, Georgia, with one red light. One red light."

By mid-morning, an impromptu prayer vigil had formed at the courthouse in Vienna, where about 100 people gathered to pray for the victims and their families.

Coroner Walls put it this way: "This doesn't — it's not supposed to — happen in a small town like that. It's something you hear on the news in bigger cities. And even in bigger cities, you don't hear that kind of a number."

Mayor Eddie Daniels said the shooting was about a block from his house and that he "saw a lot of blue lights." He said he had not spoken with law enforcement yet, that the city had not issued any kind of permit for the block party, and that he did not know whether it was a homecoming party.

Dooly County School System superintendent Sherrod Willaford said the shooting was not at a school-sponsored event. "We recognize that its impact may reach many of our students, families, and staff," he said. Schools were to open Monday with additional safety measures in place. He did not specify what they are.

Fifty Miles North, a Week Earlier

The weekend before, 12 teenagers were wounded by gunfire during a confrontation at a birthday party at a Macon city park, about 50 miles north of Vienna.

The AJC also reported in September 2026 on Macon shootings, including a report that guns used in shootings that wounded 12 may have been rigged to fire automatically.

Vienna has seen this before, too. In 2018, a fight between two rival gangs at Klub Money nightclub led to a shootout in the street that killed one person. After a three-year GBI investigation, 15 people were charged.

What Comes Next

The GBI's Regional Investigative Office in Perry is handling the case. Anyone with information can call (478) 987-4545, or submit anonymous tips to 1-800-597-TIPS (8477). When the investigation is complete, the case file goes to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney's Office.

The Youth Peace and Justice Foundation, also known as the Uvalde Foundation for Kids, said it is offering a reward of up to $5,000 for information that helps law enforcement make an arrest or secure a conviction.

Gov. Brian Kemp posted on social media that his office is "in contact with our law enforcement partners statewide and in Dooly County as they respond to this event."

Both candidates for governor weighed in. Keisha Lance Bottoms, the Democratic nominee, said: "No family should have to endure this nightmare, and no community should have to live with the fear that a gathering of friends can turn into tragedy." Rick Jackson, the Republican nominee, called the news "horrific" and said: "Our prayers are with the survivors for a full recovery, and with law enforcement and first responders working to find who did this and keep Dooly County safe."

By Jessica Ali, Staff Writer

This article was produced with AI-assisted research and editorial support. Sources: Associated Press, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, CBS News, USA TODAY, 41NBC/WMGT, CNN, WALB, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.