An overnight shooting in the US state of Mississippi has left eight people dead, including a local deputy sheriff, police say, reports BBC.
The shootings took place in three separate locations in Bogue Chitto and Brookhaven in Lincoln County.
A male suspect, named in local media as Cory Godbolt, was detained on Sunday morning and is in police custody.Authorities say it is too early to consider any possible motive behind the killings.
A 16-year-old, believed to have been taken hostage by the suspect, was safe, local paper The Daily Leader reported.Mississippi governor Phil Bryant called the incident a "senseless tragedy".
"Every day, the men and women who wear the badge make some measure of sacrifice to protect and serve their communities. Too often, we lose one of our finest," he said in a statement.