A man armed with three firearms fatally shot his ex-wife and five other people: the incident took place in a small rural town in the U.S. state of Mississippi, U.S. media reported, citing police. 

The victims were killed in several locations, including a store and two homes, in the Arkabutla community of Tate County, a population of less than 300 people.

Police charged a 52-year-old local man with first-degree murder and placed him in the county jail.

The motive for his attack has not yet been determined.

The suspect is believed to have acted alone, Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves said.

According to Sheriff Brad Lance, the disturbance began when a man entered a convenience store at a gas station around 11:00 local time and shot and killed a man with whom he was clearly not related.

He then went to a nearby home, where he fatally shot his ex-wife and, according to CNN, struck but did not shoot her fiancé.

Investigators say the gunman then drove up to a house near his residence and fatally shot a man who may have been his stepfather and another woman, the New York Times reports.

He then shot and killed two people, one in the car and one in the road, near his own home. According to Sheriff Lance, the last two victims appeared to be construction site workers.

Officers spotted the suspect in a vehicle matching witnesses' descriptions and were able to apprehend him near his home after a brief car chase.

The sheriff reported that the suspect was in possession of a shotgun and two handguns.

The elementary and high schools in nearby Coldwater were closed for quarantine at the time of the incident.