16-year-old shot by fellow student as he waited at school bus stop, Georgia police say
UPDATE:
A 16-year-old student has died days after he was shot by a fellow student as he waited at a neighborhood bus stop, police in Gwinnett County, Georgia, confirmed to McClatchy News.
Timothy Barnes Jr. was a sophomore at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, about 32 miles northwest of Atlanta, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Barnes was confronted by another student early Tuesday morning and shot in the head.
The accused gunman, 17, was arrested on charges of aggravated assault and possession of a weapon during the commission of a felony, Lawrenceville police told McClatchy News. He now faces an additional charge of malice murder.
McClatchy News is not naming the teen because he is a minor.
ORIGINAL:
A 16-year-old student is fighting for his life after he was shot while waiting for a school bus early Tuesday, Georgia authorities said.
The teen was waiting at a bus stop in a Lawrenceville subdivision when police said two other teens, ages 17 and 18, walked up before he was shot in the head, WSB-TV reported. The incident unfolded just before 6:30 a.m., Lawrenceville police spokesperson Lt. Jake Parker confirmed to McClatchy News.
The victim, a sophomore at Central Gwinnett High School in Lawrenceville, was rushed to a hospital in critical condition, police said.
Authorities haven’t publicly identified the teen who was shot. The 17-year-old has since been arrested, Parker told McClatchy News. Parker confirmed the 18-year-old was also detained, although it’s unclear whether he will face charges.
Central Gwinnett High School principal Shane Orr addressed the shooting in a letter to parents Tuesday, calling it a “grave situation,” WAGA reported.
Orr added that the accused shooter is also a student at the school.
“It is with a heavy heart that I share the tragic news about a shooting in our community this morning that involved two of our students,” he wrote, according to the TV station. “I have been notified that a 10th grader at our school has been identified as the victim. The police do have the person responsible in custody, and, unfortunately, the preliminary information I have received is that this individual is also a student at our school.”
Authorities are still investigating but said the shooting may have stemmed from a prior dispute between the victim and the shooter, according to The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
“They had a history where they had some sort of conflict, and of course this was the result,” Parker told the newspaper.
The incident remains under investigation.
Lawrenceville is about 32 miles northeast of Atlanta.
This story was originally published November 2, 2021 at 10:23 AM with the headline "16-year-old shot by fellow student as he waited at school bus stop, Georgia police say."