Officials say “500-plus” people were in the city-owned Vicksburg Convention Center early on Easter morning when a shot was fired, but the center’s website indicates the number could have been up to 2,000.

Convention center, City of Vicksburg officials, promoters of the show and Vicksburg police have declined to give an exact number of attendees, but the VenuWorks-operated center’s website says the center will hold up to 2,000, depending on the configuration of seating.

A recorded message on the phone of the promoter, identified only as Geno, said all presale tickets to the “purple party” had been sold out.

Geno, contacted by phone Tuesday, declined to talk about the shooting, citing advice from his attorney. He would not give his last name.

Police Chief Walter Armstrong, who said “500-plus” people were at the center, said Tuesday a video made inside the center near the time of the shooting indicates no chairs or risers were set up and the venue “looked full.”

No injuries were reported in the shooting that left one bullet lodged in the ceiling. The shooting was reported to 911 at 2:13 a.m.

Vicksburg police, who were walking through the building when the shooting occurred, arrested Everett Defrance, 22, 227 High Hill Drive. He remained in the Warren County Jail this morning on a $325,000 bond.

The shooting occurred after Defrance and another man fought inside the center, police said.

That man and two others were arrested on misdemeanor charges minutes later, after guns were fired outside the center, and three guns were found in a vehicle outside the center, police said. They have not said if the three suspects were in the vehicle where the guns were found.

Armstrong said Tuesday the guns are being tested to see if one of them fired the shot inside the center.

The center’s executive director, Troy Thorn, an employee of VenuWorks, issued a statement early today recapping the events of the night, but the statement did not address the number of people inside. He did not return calls after the emailed statement arrived.

“An incident occurred early Sunday morning April 8, an individual caused a disturbance which led to a single shot being fired inside the convention center,” Thorn wrote.

“The Vicksburg Police were on site with perimeter patrols and walk-throughs throughout the night enabled them to respond quickly and resulted in the arrests,” he said. “Unfortunately the acts of one individual spoiled the festive and otherwise incident-free event. We are reviewing all our security procedures and practices.”

Armstrong said Tuesday he will meet with Thorn, who is at a conference in Dallas, to discuss security measures, including additional security and metal detectors.

Private security officers also were at the center when the shooting occurred, officials have said.

“I’m extremely disappointed that someone would choose to go into a public facility and do something so careless and idiotic like shooting inside a public facility,” said Mayor Paul Winfield.

North Ward Alderman Michael Mayfield called the fight and shooting “despicable.”

“Someone could have been hurt or killed in that situation,” he said. “It’s idiotic to fire shots in an event like that.”

Mayfield said he had been told “800 to 900” people were in the center at the time of the shooting.

Defrance was charged with attempted aggravated assault and shooting inside a business.

Vicksburg police did not release information about the shooting until Tuesday. Armstrong said he feared an earlier release might impede the police investigation.

Erin Powell, sales and marketing manager for the convention center, declined to release how much the promoter paid to rent the hall, but a rate card indicates the cost ranges from $225 to $1,900, depending on the space used. People attending the event paid from $10 to $20 to attend the purple party, according to the center’s website.

Skipper Guizerix is one of 11 people who sit on a city-appointed advisory board for the center.

“It’s frightening,” he said this morning. “We’re going to have to be more careful with scheduling events than we have been in the past. I have confidence in Troy, and I’m sure he will make the necessary changes.”

Another board member, Tom Pharr, said Tuesday that convention center officials need to do a better job of researching private promoters and their events to be sure the promoters are financially able to produce the event and pay for liability insurance to cover it.

Built in 1996 at a cost of $10 million, the Vicksburg Convention Center opened in 1997 and is supported in part by a 2 percent city hotel tax.

Since 2001, the convention center and the Vicksburg City Auditorium have been managed by VenuWorks, a management company based in Ames, Iowa. VenuWorks signed a new five-year contract with the city in November.