The GBI Identifies The Two Young Men Killed At Vienna Homecoming: 21-year-old Jaquevion Jackson of Cordele And 23-year-old Macaleb Jackson of Hawkinsville; Other Victims “Stable To Critical”

A quiet South Georgia community has been thrown into mourning and chaos following a horrific mass shooting early Sunday morning that left two young men dead and 35 other individuals injured.

The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) and the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office have officially identified the deceased victims as Jaquevion Jackson, 21, of Cordele, Georgia, and Macaleb Jackson, 23, of Hawkinsville, Georgia. According to Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls, both men succumbed to fatal gunshot wounds and were pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities have not released if there was a familial relationship between Jaquevion and Macaleb though social media comments described them as being very close.

A Night of Celebration Turns Deadly

The gunfire erupted at approximately 1:25 a.m. on Sunday, October 4, near the 900 block of Pine Street. An estimated crowd of more than 1,000 people had gathered for a reportedly unsanctioned outdoor block party celebrating Dooly County High School’s homecoming.

Witnesses described a scene of sudden, absolute terror. Local resident Ashley Gee, 30, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that she recalled hearing a constant barrage of bullets that sounded like “a machine gun,” sending hundreds of panicked partygoers scrambling for cover.

Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy stated that investigators believe more than 50 shots were fired across at least two separate locations about a block apart.

Multiple Casualties and Critical Condition

In addition to the two fatalities, emergency medical teams and law enforcement scrambled to manage 35 injured victims. Local authorities provided the following updates regarding their conditions and demographics:

Medical Status: The medical conditions of the surviving victims range from stable to critical.

Nature of Injuries: GBI Director Chris Hosey confirmed that while the majority of the 35 injured suffered direct gunshot wounds, roughly a dozen others sustained injuries from being struck by fleeing vehicles or trampled in the ensuing chaos.

Age Range: The victims targeted or hurt in the crossfire are as young as 14 and as old as 51 years old.

Hospitalizations: Regional emergency rooms were quickly overwhelmed. Officials at Crisp Regional Hospital in nearby Cordele reported receiving 26 patients starting around 2:10 a.m. Other victims were rushed to medical facilities in Bleckley, Perry, and Macon.

Investigation Ongoing with No Suspects

The small town of Vienna, located roughly 50 miles south of Macon along the Interstate 75 corridor, remains reeling from the unprecedented scale of violence.

“This doesn’t — it’s not supposed to — happen in a small town like that,” Coroner Walls remarked. Sheriff Peavy echoed the sentiment, noting that in his 42 years of law enforcement, this tragedy caught the community completely off guard.

As of Monday morning, state and local authorities have not publicly named any suspects or established a clear motive for the shooting. No arrests have been made.

The GBI’s Regional Investigative Office in Perry is actively leading the investigation. Authorities are urging anyone with video footage or information regarding the incident to submit anonymous tips via the GBI tip line at 1-800-597-TIPS (8477) or through the GBI Online Tip Portal.