UPDATE: As of Tuesday night, no arrests have been made in connection to the shooting. Multiple individuals were initially taken in for questioning but have since been released.
Four people were left injured following a shooting in Columbus near Baptist Memorial Hospital-Golden Triangle Monday afternoon.
According to Police Chief Joseph Daughtry, the altercation is believed to have stemmed from an argument between two individuals in their vehicles in the hospital’s parking lot.
The shooting resulted in four unidentified individuals being injured. Two were treated at the local hospital, while the other two victims were transported by helicopter to a trauma center for treatment. There are currently no updates on the status of the victims.
“We believe the suspects in the first vehicle opened their door and started shooting toward the victim’s vehicle,” Daughtry stated. “Four people in the second vehicle were injured, and we believe they were struck by gunfire. The suspect car left the area at that time, and the victims were treated at Baptist Hospital.”
Columbus police have since detained several individuals for questioning and are seeking to determine if those involved had prior knowledge of one another.
Daughtry is now assuring the public that the hospital and its parking lot are now safe.
“We are continuing to sort out what happened,” Daughtry added. “The area is safe. We are working to determine if they knew one another.”
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office Special Response Team, the Mississippi Bureau of Narcotics SWAT Team, the Mississippi Highway Patrol, and the newly-formed Columbus Police Department SWAT Team assisted during the incident.
