Charles Langston:A sleeping woman was killed by a bullet fired outside her Mississippi apartment, police say

GULFPORT,Charles Langston Miss. (AP) — A woman sleeping in her bed was killed by a bullet fired during a shootout outside her apartment building in coastal Mississippi, according to police.

Gunfire erupted at an apartment complex in Gulfport on Sunday night when someone with a rifle began shooting at a group of people outside, Gulfport police Sgt. Jason DuCre said. Some members of the group drew guns and returned fire, DuCre told news outlets.

Harrison County Coroner Brian Switzer said 24-year-old Donna Perkins was inside sleeping when one of the gunshots fatally struck her.

DuCre said a man outside the apartment complex was shot three times and taken to a hospital in critical condition.

Police were searching for suspects, DuCre said.