The nonprofit group that organizes Hood Nic (Neighborhood Picnic) in Dumas, is using its website to reach out to those hurt in the Saturday night shooting at the event in Dumas, a resumption of an annual community celebration that had been suspended for two years during the pandemic.

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The New York Times devoted most of a page inside its print edition today to the shooting, which left one dead and 27 wounded, including several children.  It was described as the largest mass shooting of the year, which police officials seemed to downplay by emphasizing that the victims were collateral damage in a gunfight between two people. The casualties were still massive. The article notes 10 were shot in Dallas Saturday night and four in Austin, Texas.

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The Times said the neighborhood picnic is ” … hosted by a foundation that offers tutoring, backpacks and scholarships to first-time college students, according to its website. The big outdoor party had been canceled two years running because of the coronavirus pandemic, and Saturday’s event was supposed to represent a much-needed return to normal.”

The shooting occurred on the parking lot of a closed Fred’s discount store.

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Detrich Elliott, 42, the owner of an online radio station in Little Rock, served as a host of the event and said that things had gone smoothly for much of the day, with no indication of tension. The sun was shining. A band played R&B music. Rappers performed onstage, preachers issued prayers, and politicians sought votes. People set up lawn chairs in front of the stage, and people of all ages, including many children, milled around amid food trucks and custom cars that were set to be the focus of a popularity contest.

Sometime after 6 p.m., the people who had gathered near the stage were asked to make room for the parade of cars. It was right around that moment that Mr. Elliott, who was onstage, heard the shooting to the right of him, coming from behind some food trucks.

He heard what seemed like 12 or 15 shots, he said, but could not make out the shooters. “I seen the after effects of people laying on the ground,” Mr. Elliott said.

The suspects remain at large this morning.

Social media have many posts remembering Cameron Shaffer, 23, who was killed in the shooting. His own Facebook page mentioned his plans to attend Hood Nic.

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In advance of the weekend, the Dumas Clarion carried this opinion column about uniting the city and listing the various events, including church services, that were part of planned weekend activities.

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KTHV talked to the father of a young victim.

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KATV obtains film of when shooting broke out.

From the State Police this afternoon:

State police special agents assigned to the investigation of a shooting incident at a Dumas car show late Saturday afternoon [March 19th] have confirmed 27 individuals who were wounded by the gunfire. The list of wounded victims includes the name of Cameron Shaffer, 23, of Jacksonville who died at the Dumas hospital.

During a news conference yesterday the number of wounded was reported to be 28. The discrepancy appears to be attributed to one patient admitted locally and later transferred to another hospital.

Among the wounded are five children ranging in age from 19-months – 11 years old.

Additionally, the Arkansas State Police Criminal Investigation Division is reserving a telephone number for witnesses to the shooting and victims who may not have reported their injuries to contact agents assigned to the case.

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