Two young people were killed and six others were injured when two masked men opened fire on a Halloween costume party crowd on the dance floor of the Hideaway nightclub in Jackson, Mississippi, early Sunday, November 1, 2026. Jackson State University has since cancelled undergraduate classes for Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, following the deadly shooting.

Police identified the two people killed as Lovdai Poindexter, 20, and Jada Henderson, 18, both pronounced dead at the scene. The six survivors, aged 18 to 20, were taken to local hospitals. No arrests had been reported as of Sunday afternoon, and police said two suspects wearing ski masks were being sought.

Key Points

• Two people were killed and six others injured in a shooting at the Hideaway nightclub in Jackson, Mississippi, at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026.
• The victims killed were Lovdai Poindexter, 20, and Jada Henderson, 18, both pronounced dead at the scene.
• Two men wearing ski masks entered the club during a Halloween costume party and at least one opened fire on the dance floor, police said.
• No arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon, and no motive has been publicly established.
• Jackson State University cancelled undergraduate classes for Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, following the shooting.

What Happened

Officers responded to a shooting call at the Hideaway, in the 5100 block of I-55 North Frontage Road in Jackson, at about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1. The club was hosting a Halloween costume party, and a large crowd had gathered on the dance floor when the gunfire began.

According to Jackson police, as reported by CNN affiliate WAPT, two men wearing ski masks entered the club and at least one of them pulled out a gun and fired into the crowd on the dance floor. The shooting sent partygoers scrambling for cover in a packed venue.

Lovdai Poindexter, 20, and Jada Henderson, 18, were pronounced dead at the scene. Six other young people, aged 18 to 20, were taken to local hospitals for treatment. Early police accounts on Sunday morning had reported four people hospitalised in addition to the two killed; later reports, including USA Today and WJTV, put the injured total at six.

Deputy Chief Sequerna Banks confirmed the two deaths early on Sunday. Police said investigators spent the overnight hours interviewing witnesses to determine what led to the gunfire, and that the investigation remained active with no arrests as of Sunday afternoon.

Background and Context

The Hideaway is a nightclub on the I-55 North Frontage Road in Jackson, the Mississippi state capital. The Halloween costume party drew a young crowd, and many of those present were in their late teens or early twenties, consistent with the ages of the victims and the injured.

Jackson State University, a historically Black university in Jackson, announced that undergraduate classes would not meet on Monday, November 2, or Tuesday, November 3, following the deadly shooting. The university's announcement, reported on Monday, did not in the reports checked name any student victims, and this article does not assume that any victim was a Jackson State student.

The Jackson shooting was one of a series of deadly shootings across the United States over the Halloween weekend. Police and news reports counted at least 15 dead across 11 states in the early tallies, with later national counts higher, including shootings in Dallas, Birmingham, Newark in Delaware, Bloomington in Illinois and Fayetteville in Arkansas. Each incident is being investigated separately, and Jackson's case has its own suspects, victims and venue.

Masked gunmen firing into a crowd on a dance floor is a particularly alarming pattern for investigators, because it suggests the attackers arrived intending to shoot rather than reacting to a dispute inside the club — although police have not publicly stated a motive, and this article does not speculate about one.

Jackson Nightclub Shooting Investigation

Jackson police said the search for the two suspects was ongoing as of Sunday afternoon, with no arrests reported. Deputy Chief Banks has been the police official confirming details publicly in the reports checked.

Investigators interviewed multiple witnesses overnight and into Sunday, and they are expected to review surveillance footage from inside and outside the club, as well as any video recorded by partygoers on their phones. No suspect names, descriptions beyond the ski masks, or vehicle information had been publicly released in the reports checked.

Police have not said whether the victims were targeted or were struck at random in the crowd, and they have not released information about a possible motive or about any prior dispute involving the suspects. The victims' families were being notified as police released their names on Sunday.

Reactions and Quotes

Police statements in the reports checked were limited to the confirmed facts: the time, the venue, the two deaths, the injured, and the ongoing search for two masked suspects. Deputy Chief Sequerna Banks confirmed the two deaths early on Sunday and confirmed that no arrests had been made as of that morning.

Jackson State University's decision to cancel undergraduate classes for Monday and Tuesday was the most visible institutional response in the reports checked. The cancellation gave students and staff time away from classes in the immediate aftermath of a shooting that killed two young people in their own city on a party night.

No direct quotes from the victims' families, from club management or from Jackson State officials beyond the class-cancellation announcement were included in the reports checked for this article, and none are invented here.

Why It Matters

The Jackson shooting matters because two teenagers — one 18, one 20 — were killed at a party that should have been a celebration, and six more young people were hurt. It matters, too, because the attackers reportedly walked in masked and fired into a crowd, a form of violence that leaves an entire room of witnesses traumatised and a whole city on edge.

The Jackson State class cancellation shows how a single nightclub shooting can ripple beyond the venue: a university altered its week, students lost two days of classes, and a community was forced to reckon, on the eve of a national election, with yet another mass-casualty shooting.

Nationally, the Halloween weekend toll — at least 15 dead in the early USA Today count, and at least 24 dead and 94 wounded in later national tallies that used different counting methods — has renewed attention on gun violence at parties, bars and large gatherings. Jackson's Hideaway shooting is one of the deadliest single incidents in that weekend count.

What Happens Next

Jackson police are continuing to search for the two masked suspects. Further announcements are expected on any arrests, on the conditions of the six injured people, and on whether investigators have established a motive or identified the suspects.

Jackson State undergraduate classes are cancelled for Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3. The university has not, in the reports checked, announced any change beyond those two days.

Anyone who was at the Hideaway on Saturday night or early Sunday morning, or who has video, photographs or other information about the shooting, is urged to contact Jackson police. Police have not published a dedicated tip line in the reports checked for this article, so witnesses should use the department's usual non-emergency and tip channels.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where did the Jackson nightclub shooting happen?
At the Hideaway nightclub, in the 5100 block of I-55 North Frontage Road, Jackson, Mississippi.

When did it happen?
At about 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, November 1, 2026, during a Halloween costume party.

Who was killed?
Lovdai Poindexter, 20, and Jada Henderson, 18, both pronounced dead at the scene.

How many were injured?
Six others, aged 18 to 20, were taken to hospitals, according to later reports. Early Sunday accounts had reported four hospitalised.

Has anyone been arrested?
No. Police said two men wearing ski masks were being sought and no arrests had been made as of Sunday afternoon.

Why did Jackson State cancel classes?
The university cancelled undergraduate classes for Monday, November 2, and Tuesday, November 3, following the deadly shooting. The reports checked did not state a further reason.

Related coverage: Dallas Deep Ellum shootings update, Birmingham Magic City Classic shooting, and Jacksonville Halloween shootings.

The featured image is an illustrative generated scene, not an actual photograph of the Hideaway nightclub or the shooting scene.