(With inputs from AP)

Mississippi shooting: 8 people killed, suspect in custody

BROOKHAVEN (US): Eight people, including a deputy sheriff, were killed in a shooting in Lincoln County in the US state of Mississippi on Sunday. Police said the suspect, 35-year-old Cory Godbolt, has been arrested and charges are being filed against him. Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said the shootings occurred at three separate homes Saturday night in the state's rural Lincoln County.The sheriff's deputy was responding to a distress call when he was shot and killed by the suspect, media reports said. The identities of the victims have not been released.While authorities said it was too early to speculate about the shooter's motive, Godbolt himself revealed in a video filmed by a local newspaper that his intention was to evade arrest and commit "suicide by cop".The suspect had reportedly been talking with his wife and members of her family about the custody of their children when somebody called authorities. The arrival of the police apparently sent Godbolt on the shooting spree, during which he also shot and killed the sheriff's deputy.Mississippi governor Phil Bryant issued a statement calling the incident a "senseless tragedy" and noted the "sacrifice" made by law enforcement officers to protect and serve their communities."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. I thank the law enforcement agencies involved for their hard work," Bryant wrote in a Facebook post.He also asked people to pray for those who lost their lives in the shooting.