8 shot at Brownsville National Guard Armory party

BROWNSVILLE — The Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has confirmed eight people were shot Friday night at a party in Brownsville.

TBI spokeswoman Susan Niland said Brownsville police responded to a report of shots fired around 11:45 p.m. at the National Guard Armory. Niland said a preliminary investigation indicates the Armory had been rented out for a party.

Around 11:45 p.m., a fight broke out during the party, and several shots were fired into the crowd following the fight, Niland said.

Eight people were injured and taken to Jackson-Madison County General Hospital. Niland said two were later taken to the Regional Medical Center in Memphis with injuries that are not believed to be life-threatening.

One person is still being treated at Jackson General. The other seven have been treated and released or are being released today.

Niland said two of the eight injured are juveniles. The other six are adults. The extent of their injuries is not known.

Agents and officers have left the Armory, and the investigation is ongoing.

Agents are continuing to interview witnesses and determine the events that led up to the shooting.

Brownsville Mayor William Rawls said no arrests have been made.

"I want to thank the Brownsville Police Department and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation for a quick investigation and following up on it," Rawls said. "I want to ask the community to continue to pull together."

Rawls said violence nationally is a community issue.

"It's not just in Brownsville. It's everywhere, and we can't just arrest the problem away," he said. "My tagline is that you can't have a community without unity, and we all have to pull together."

Rawls said Brownsville has a community-oriented policing program, called Save our Streets, that was created to combat violence in the community after a national rise in violent crime.

Anyone with information about the shooting can call 1-800-TBI-FIND.

Reach Maranda at (731) 425-9657 or at mfaris2@jacksonsun.com. Follow her on Twitter: @MarandaFaris