A University of West Georgia (UWG) fired a professor who was arrested Saturday for murder, three counts of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm after an incoming freshman was shot and killed.
Security at a pizza restaurant was told that 47-year-old Richard Sigman threatened to shoot another customer during an altercation on Saturday night, according to a statement from Carrollton police. Sigman was asked to leave the area after security identified a weapon on his person, the statement said.
The preliminary investigation indicated that Sigman left the restaurant and walked to a nearby parking deck, where he began shooting at a parked vehicle, police said. Soon-to-be UWG freshman Anna Jones was struck by one of the bullets, and immediately rushed to a local medical center by her friends, according to the statement.
Jones was pronounced dead at the medical center, which is when police were called to the scene, the New York Post reported.
“On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends,” UWG president Dr. Brendan Kelly said in a statement shared by 11Alive News. “We know this news is difficult to process and affects many members of our university community. We ask that you keep Anna’s family, friends, and all who have been touched by this tragedy in your thoughts during this tremendously difficult time.” (RELATED: REPORT: Coroner Says He Cried, Couldn’t Eat For A Week In Most Heinous Crime He’s Ever Seen)
UWG terminated Sigman’s employment following his arrest, CBS 46 reported. Jones’ friends, family, and former high school shared the news via Facebook, noting that she “will be missed dearly by many.”