Two people were killed Thursday morning in a shooting at the Quality Inn on Highway 12, about half a mile from MSU campus.

During a press conference, public information officer Brandon Lovelady confirmed that a shooting occurred between two individuals, both of whom were transported to OCH Regional Medical Center, where they were pronounced dead.

The victims were identified as Veshawn Williams, 25, of Columbus, MS and Robert Mayfield, 27, of Memphis, TN.

According to investigators, the incident involved three individuals: a woman, her boyfriend Williams and her cousin Mayfield. Lovelady said the woman involved in the incident was not injured. Her name was not released.

The Columbus Police Department already had a warrant for Williams’ arrest for an earlier kidnapping and aggravated assault related to the woman.

All three individuals were parked in a car behind Quality Inn on Thursday when Williams exited the rear seat and opened the passenger door, where the woman was sitting. This prompted Mayfield to leave the driver’s seat and approach Williams.

“There was a brief physical altercation at that time between three of the individuals there,” Lovelady said. “Mayfield returned to the driver’s seat and begins to drive away while Williams is standing outside the vehicle. The two exchanged gunfire and both received fatal injuries. Mayfield drove to nearby State Urgent Care for medical help. Williams remained behind the Quality Inn.”

At 11:04 a.m., Starkville PD responded to multiple 911 calls concerning the shooting.

Lovelady urged residents to assist law enforcement efforts by maintaining their security systems.

“If you own a business or are a homeowner, please make sure your cameras work and consider integrating or joining our Real-Time Intelligence,” Lovelady said. “These tools help us investigate and put together information in a fast and effective manner.”