CRAWFORD, Miss. (AP) — A Mississippi town has canceled its annual Christmas parade because of an increase in shootings.
“They’re shooting like 30 or 40 rounds at one time. That’s what I call a war,” Crawford Mayor Willie Parson told WCBI-TV.
Authorities have said that only one person has been injured so far, but a number of homes and vehicles have been shot into.
The holiday event was scheduled for last week, but Parson said she decided to cancel it because the level of gunfire is something the town has never experienced.
“When they go to the parade, 100 or 200 or 300 people are there and you never know who’s going to have a gun or who’s going to have what,” the mayor said.
Lowndes County Sheriff’s Department Detective Drew McCain said shootings have spiked over the past few months. He said the department is “currently working anywhere from five to 10 right now.”
“About three vehicles have been shot into that came very close to hitting people,” he said.
The sheriff’s department is now increasing patrols throughout Crawford, located 166 miles (267 kilometers) northeast of the capital of Jackson.
The Crawford Christmas parade has been an annual tradition for more than 20 years. It was canceled in 2020 because of the coronavirus pandemic.
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