VIENNA, GA – October 4, 2026 (STL.News) Two men were killed, and 35 other people were injured early Sunday after gunfire erupted at a crowded neighborhood block party in Vienna, Georgia, triggering a major law enforcement and emergency medical response.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said Dooly County Sheriff’s Office deputies were already patrolling the block party when shots were fired from the 900 block of Pine Street at approximately 1:25 a.m.
Deputies immediately responded and discovered multiple people who had been shot. Officers also found two people in the 600 block of Pine Street who were pronounced dead at the scene, according to the GBI.
Dooly County Coroner Brett Walls said the men killed were ages 20 and 23. Their names had not initially been publicly released as authorities continued investigating the shooting.
The bodies were being taken to the GBI Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsies.
Thirty-five other people were injured, and victims were transported to several regional hospitals, according to the GBI.
Authorities had not announced an arrest or publicly identified a suspect or motive as of Sunday evening.
More Than 1,000 People Reportedly at Block Party
The shooting occurred during a large gathering that coincided with Dooly County High School’s homecoming weekend.
Dooly County Sheriff Craig Peavy told WMAZ-TV that more than 1,000 people were gathered along Pine Street when the violence erupted, according to reporting by The Associated Press.
Peavy said more than 50 shots were fired at at least two locations approximately a block apart.
People began running in multiple directions after the shooting started. Peavy said additional gunfire could be heard about a block away even as law enforcement officers were responding to the initial scene.
Deputies had already been assigned to patrol the neighborhood gathering before the shooting.
Authorities have not publicly said how many people fired weapons or what precipitated the violence.
Not All 35 Injured Were Shot
The casualty numbers require an important distinction.
The GBI has confirmed that two people died and 35 others were injured. The agency has not said that all 35 surviving victims suffered gunshot wounds.
Walls told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that multiple people were struck by gunfire while roughly a dozen others were injured trying to flee, according to AP.
That makes two dead and 35 injured the most accurate description of the casualty toll based on information released Sunday.
The GBI said multiple people had been shot but had not publicly provided a definitive count of surviving gunshot victims or detailed the conditions of all those injured.
The injured were taken to several hospitals across the region.
Shooting Was Not at School-Sponsored Event
Although the shooting occurred during Dooly County High School’s homecoming weekend, the block party was not sponsored by the school system.
Dooly County School System Superintendent Sherrod Willaford made that distinction following the shooting while acknowledging that the violence could have a significant effect on students, families and school employees.
The school system said classes would resume Monday with additional safety measures in place.
The exact nature of the gathering should therefore be described carefully.
It was a neighborhood block party held during homecoming weekend, rather than an official Dooly County High School homecoming event.
Vienna Mayor Eddie Daniels told AP that the city had not issued a permit for the block party. Daniels also said he did not know whether the gathering itself was specifically organized as a homecoming party.
The mayor said the shooting happened approximately a block from his home and that he saw a large law enforcement presence afterward.
Small Georgia Community Faces Large Crime Scene
Vienna is in Dooly County in south-central Georgia, approximately 50 miles south of Macon along the Interstate 75 corridor and about 130 miles south of Atlanta.
The shooting left investigators with a potentially complicated crime scene extending along several blocks of Pine Street.
The GBI’s preliminary account says the initial shots were fired from the 900 block. The two deceased victims were subsequently found in the 600 block.
Peavy’s account that more than 50 shots were fired at at least two locations adds another layer to the investigation.
Authorities had not publicly determined whether the gunfire came from one person or multiple people.
They also had not disclosed whether the two men who died were specifically targeted, whether the violence followed an argument or confrontation, or whether the shooting involved people firing at one another.
There was also no official evidence released Sunday establishing a gang connection or tying the shooting to Dooly County High School.
Those questions remain part of the ongoing investigation.
Vienna Currently Has No Municipal Police Department
The shooting has also brought attention to law enforcement resources in Vienna.
Vienna Councilwoman Tabitha Carter told WALB that the city currently does not have its own police department and that officials have been working since February to put a police department and police chief in place.
Carter said the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office has previously raised concerns about being stretched while providing law enforcement coverage for the area.
She said she believed having a municipal police department could have given Vienna additional resources to prepare for the large gathering.
Carter also said the sheriff’s office responded in a timely manner and “did what it could.”
Her comments reflect her assessment of Vienna’s law enforcement resources. Authorities have not said that the city’s lack of a municipal police department caused or contributed to the shooting.
Importantly, Dooly County deputies were already working in the area when the gunfire began.
First Responders Had Conducted Mass-Casualty Training
WALB also reported that Dooly County first responders participated in an active-shooter and mass-casualty training exercise in neighboring Crisp County several months before Sunday’s shooting.
The exercise involved multiple agencies practicing their response to a large-scale emergency.
That training preceded an actual mass-casualty event in which dozens of people required medical attention and investigators were confronted with evidence spread across multiple blocks.
Authorities from several agencies assisted following Sunday’s shooting as investigators worked to secure the area, collect evidence, and determine what led to the gunfire.
No Arrests Announced
As of Sunday evening, authorities had not announced an arrest in connection with the shooting.
Authorities have not announced a publicly identified suspect or motive.
The GBI is investigating at the request of the Dooly County Sheriff’s Office.
Investigators are asking anyone with information about the shooting to contact the GBI Regional Investigative Office in Perry at 478-987-4545.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), through the GBI’s online tip system or through the See Something, Send Something mobile application.
The agency said the investigation remains active.
Once the investigation is complete, the GBI said it will provide the case file to the Cordele Judicial Circuit District Attorney’s Office for review and prosecution.
Investigators now face the task of determining who fired the dozens of shots, whether multiple shooters were involved, and what caused gunfire to erupt during a gathering attended by more than 1,000 people.
For Vienna and the surrounding Dooly County community, the immediate toll is already clear: two men are dead, dozens of people were injured, and investigators are still searching for the people responsible.
This is a developing story. STL.News will update this report as the Georgia Bureau of Investigation releases additional verified information.
