1 dead among 5 shooting victims at Mississippi restaurant

OCEAN SPRINGS, Miss. (AP) — One person is dead after at least five people were shot during a Cinco de Mayo party at a Mississippi restaurant late Friday night, police said.

Ocean Springs Police Chief Mark Dunston confirmed the number of victims who were shot at The Scratch Kitchen on Government Street, the Sun Herald reported.

Jackson County Deputy Coroner James Prisock shortly after midnight confirmed the death of one of the victims, the Sun Herald reported.

It was not immediately clear if any arrests had been made early Saturday morning. Police at the scene were examining the restaurant’s patio area, the newspaper reported.

The Scratch Kitchen’s owner told the Sun Herald there were about 200 people at the restaurant when the shooter ran past employees who were doing security checks at the entrance to the patio.

“The person who did the shooting wasn’t a customer,” owner Brittany Alexander said. “He didn’t get an arm band or anything to be out here.”

Ocean Springs is about 4 miles (6 kilometers) east of Biloxi, Mississippi.