A McComb teenager who was one of two people shot at Baertown Park on Friday afternoon has died, officials confirmed.
Gary Thompson 17, succumbed to his injuries Friday night at the University of Mississippi Medical Center, Pike County Coroner David Rashad Taylor said.
Thompson and another unidentified teenager were shot at the crowded McComb park Friday afternoon.
McComb Police Chief Investigator David Cullom said the shooting broke out at Baertown Park at 5:25 p.m., when Thompson was shot in the head and the other teenager was shot in the buttocks.
Police drove Thompson to Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center, and the other victim left the scene, although police eventually found him at Hollywood Cemetery and were talking to him, Cullom said.
Sheriff Wally Jones said deputies arrested four people – three juveniles and an adult - in McComb's White Acres neighborhood shortly after the shooting when a deputy found the suspects riding in a car, pulled them over and held them at gunpoint.
Jones said deputies recovered a cache of weapons inside the car. Some were the same caliber as those used at the shooting in addition to other weapons, including aa shotgun.
Their names and charges were not immediately available.
A cadre of law enforcement officers from McComb and the Pike County sheriff’s department descended on the park, where bounce houses sat deflated and footballs and other items were left unattended.
Cullom said investigators from the District Attorney’s office and Summit police also assisted with interviewing witnesses.
Cullom said at least three weapons including a semi-automatic rifle and two handguns were used in the shooting.
He said the shooting did not appear to be a drive-by and everyone involved was at the park when it occurred.
Cullom said the event coincided with senior skip day at McComb High School.
“Our hearts and prayers are with the members of our school family who have been affected by recent events,” the McComb School District said in a statement. “Though the events did not happen within the school, we feel the impact deeply as a community.”
