An 18-year-old student was shot dead by a professor at Georgia University which she planned to attend this fall, according to police. According to police, Anna Jones, a student at the University of West Georgia, was shot and killed by Richard Sigman, 47, at a parking garage on Saturday around 2:30 am.
Jones was rushed to a nearby hospital but doctors were unable to save her. Minutes before shooting dead Jones, Sigman had threatened to kill another person at a pizza outlet. The person had alerted the police but by the time they reached, he had already shot dead Jones at a parking lot. He was arrested following that.
Shocking Death
Sigman was arrested on Saturday in connection with the death of Anna Jones, a recent high school graduate who was enrolled as an incoming freshman at the University of West Georgia. He has been charged with murder, gun possession, and aggravated assault.
Police were alerted about Sigman after a man reported to Leopoldo’s security that Sigman threatened to shoot him after the two got into an argument just before midnight, according to Carrollton police.
According to police, when security approached the professor, they noticed he was carrying a gun and requested him to leave.
Sigman then started walking away toward a parking lot. Once he reached there, he started shooting randomly where Jones was sitting, according to police.
Jones was struck by a bullet following which her friends hurriedly transported her to the hospital, where she was later declared dead.
“It was shocking,” said friend Cheyenne Sexton. “My mother-in-law called me and immediately told me and I burst out in tears.”
Young Life Gone
Police reached the scene sometime later and found Sigman with the gun. He was arrested and taken into custody. The university has since fired Sigman.
“The University of West Georgia has learned of the loss of one of its students, Anna Jones, who passed away following an off-campus incident earlier today,” school president Brendan Kelly said in a statement, according to CBS 46.
“UWG has terminated the employment of Richard Sigman and continues to work with the city of Carrollton Police Department, which leads this ongoing investigation,” the statement further read.
A university spokesperson told 11 Alive News that Jones was enrolled as an incoming freshman at the school.
It’s unclear if Jones was Sigman’s target or even if the two were acquainted.
“It’s just it’s so close to home, and they wouldn’t really expect that,” said Sexton.
“She didn’t have anybody that hated her.”
Jones had recently graduated from Carrollton, Georgia’s Mount Zion High School. In the fall, she was scheduled to enroll in the University of West Georgia.
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“She was going to be a teacher and she would have been amazing because she was so good with kids,” Jones’ former teacher, Stephanie Hodges said, adding that she hasn’t yet processed the death of her former student.
Police said that the investigation is still active and more details will be shared shortly. “This case is active and ongoing. Anyone with information is encouraged to contact the Carrollton Police Department,” said police in a statement on Facebook.
