WASHINGTON -- A male suspect was arrested Sunday morning after eight people were shot and killed at three separate homes overnight in rural Lincoln County, the southern US state of Mississippi.

The 35-year-old suspect, identified as Willie Cory Godbolt, was taken into custody after the shooting, and may have had a 16-year-old hostage for a time, according to local media reports.

The names of the victims, including a London County sheriff's deputy, have not yet been released.

The deputy went to a home for a resident wanting the suspect removed from the property before the shooting, according to a Dailyleader report.

Godbolt has a long criminal history, said the report. He was arrested in 2015 for disorderly conduct and failure to comply with request by local police.

Mississippi Bureau of Investigation spokesman Warren Strain said no charges have been filed and it would be "premature" to discuss a motive.