A now-fired college professor was arrested and charged this weekend in connection with the murder of an 18-year-old incoming freshman at the college where he taught.
via People:
Richard Sigman, who was a professor at the University of West Georgia, was arrested on multiple charges including “murder, aggravated assault x 3, and possession of a firearm during the commission of crime,” according to a release from the Carrollton Police Department posted to Facebook.
Police said the arrests were made for his alleged involvement in the ultimate death of Anna Jones.
The release explained that on Saturday, July 30 around 12:27 a.m., officers responded to Tanner Medical Center after reports of a female with a gunshot wound. Police said that based on initial information, the shooting occurred after two men, including Sigman, got into an “altercation.”
“Callers advised the incident occurred off Adamson Square in the courthouse parking deck,” police said. “Preliminary information indicates that Sigman and another male got into a verbal altercation at Leopoldo’s. The male notified security that Sigman threatened to shoot him. Security approached Sigman, saw he had a weapon, and told him to leave. Sigman then left walking toward the parking deck.”
Police said that so far the investigation shows the former professor walked into the parking deck and shot into a parked vehicle hitting Jones.
“Friends immediately drove her to the hospital where she was pronounced deceased,” the release said.
Meredith Browning, the public information officer for the Carrollton Police Department told PEOPLE that the three counts of aggravated assault were for the three females inside the vehicle, including Jones, who was in the front seat.
She explained that while Jones was the only person who was struck in the incident, Georgia law dictates that because there were three people in the vehicle it is listed as three counts.
Browning confirmed to PEOPLE that Jones did not know Sigman “at all.” The department as well as the University of West Georgia said she was an incoming freshman at the university.
Sigman was fired from his position at the university, according to a statement obtained by PEOPLE from the University of West Georgia.
NBC News reported that Jones had recently graduated from Mount Zion High School, which shared the news of her death on Facebook.
“It is with great sadness that we write to inform you of the passing of Anna Jones, a recent Class of 2022 graduate of MZHS,” the post read. “Anna loved this school and this community and she will be missed dearly by many.”
The school also linked to a GoFundMe which was set up over the weekend to help with funeral costs.
“She was a beautiful, sweet soul and her smile would light up a room! As with most parents, you never think that you will need life insurance for your child,” the description for the fundraiser reads. “This was a devastating and senseless crime that left a lot of hearts broken, a community mourning, and a family grieving.”
So sad.
