A mass shooting during Leland High School’s homecoming weekend has left six people dead and more than 20 others injured, transforming what should have been a celebratory community gathering into a scene of devastation in the small Mississippi Delta town.
The shooting erupted shortly before midnight on Friday, October 10, 2025, at the intersection of Fourth Street and North Main Street in downtown Leland. The area was crowded with people who had gathered following the high school’s homecoming football game against Charleston High School.
Washington County Coroner La’Quesha Watkins confirmed that four victims were pronounced dead at the scene: 41-year-old Oreshama Johnson, 19-year-old Calvin Plant, 25-year-old Shelbyona Powell, and 18-year-old Kaslyn Johnson. Two additional victims, 18-year-old Amos Brantley Jr. and 34-year-old JaMichael Jones, later died from their injuries at hospitals.
The FBI Jackson Division announced Tuesday that five people have been arrested and charged in connection with the shooting. Four suspects face capital murder charges: Terrogernal Martin, 33, Morgan Lattimore, 25, Teviyon Powell, 29, and William Bryant, 29. Latoya Powell, 44, has been charged with attempted murder.
Martin is being held on a $1 million bond, though authorities have not disclosed where the suspects are being detained. According to a local witness, Latoya Powell and Teviyon Powell are aunt and nephew, and one of the victims killed, 25-year-old Shelbyona Powell, was Latoya’s niece.
Federal investigators indicated the shooting appears to have started as a disagreement between several people before gunfire erupted. The FBI stated that other arrests are pending as the investigation continues, and agents are still searching for three unknown suspects – two women and one man.
Eyewitness Camisha Hopkins described the aftermath as resembling a war zone. “There were bodies. There were people standing around. There was blood coming from people’s rears and back, side, arm, head,” Hopkins said. She characterized the scene as the most horrific she had ever witnessed.
The shooting occurred near several local businesses, including Pro Vision’s Restaurant, Cannon’s Sports Bar and Grill, and Uptown Pool Hall. More than a dozen people were injured in the gunfire, with four initially listed in critical condition and airlifted from Greenville to University of Mississippi Medical Center in Jackson for treatment.
Washington County Supervisor Mala Brooks, who was helping clean up the area Saturday morning, noted that the annual block party had been a tradition since the school integrated around 1970. She expressed concern about what she perceived as unfamiliar faces at the event, specifically mentioning young men carrying backpacks who she believed were not from Leland.
Leland Mayor John Lee emphasized the community’s need for information from witnesses. He urged residents who saw anything to come forward, stating that speaking up could save lives and help bring justice to the families affected by the violence.
The small city of approximately 4,000 residents maintains a police force of just 10 officers, typically backed up by the sheriff’s department when needed within city limits. Homicides are rare in the community, where most residents know each other, including those who return for homecoming celebrations.
Federal authorities have established a digital media tips website specifically for the Leland mass shooting incident, where community members can anonymously submit cellphone video, photos, or other media from that night to assist the investigation. The FBI has requested that anyone with information contact them at 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit tips at tips.fbi.gov.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives is providing additional support to the investigation, offering DNA analysis services and working to potentially match shell casings to other firearms using a national automated system.
Local officials gathered Saturday afternoon to grieve with the community and encourage residents to assist in the investigation. Tarsha Parker, president of the Washington County NAACP, emphasized that there could be no closure without justice for the families affected.
The Leland Medical Clinic has offered emotional support services for anyone affected by the mass shooting. The incident has forced parents throughout the community to have difficult conversations with their children about death, violence, and safety in their own neighborhood.
This shooting was part of a violent weekend across Mississippi, with separate incidents at Heidelberg High School and South Delta High School in Rolling Fork also occurring during homecoming events, resulting in additional fatalities and arrests statewide.
