Shooting Near Georgia High School Leaves 1 Dead; Still No Arrests

JONESBORO, GA — A shooting Friday night in a parking lot across the street from a high school graduation ceremony in Clayton County left one woman dead, a second wounded and a pregnant women trampled. And while no arrests have been made, investigators have at least one suspect.

The shooting stemmed from an argument after the graduation ceremony for Perry Learning Center, the county schools police chief said at a press conference. The alternative school prepares students for the job force. Gunshots rang out in the parking lot of Mount Zion High School in Jonesboro — across the street — where graduation attendees were allowed to park.

Three victims — two suffering from gunshot wounds — were taken to area hospitals. A woman in her 40s suffered three gunshot wounds to the chest and died at Southern Regional Hospital, WXIA-TV reported. Her name wasn't immediately released.

“We are saddened that such an incident has occurred that overshadows such a positive ceremony involving an exceptional group of graduating seniors,” district superintendent Morcease Beasley said in a statement.

The Clayton County violence came just hours after 17-year-old Dimitrios Pagourtzis walked into the Santa Fe High School in Galveston County, Texas, wearing a dark trench coat that covered a shotgun and a .38 revolver, authorities said. Within minutes, he opened fire on classmates, killing nine students and a faculty member, and wounding several others.

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A 21-year-old woman with gunshot wounds to the leg was taken to Atlanta Medical Center, while another woman was taken to Piedmont Henry Hospital from injuries suffered when panicked bystanders pushed and shoved to get away from the gunfire.

Police have taken at least one person into custody for questioning. No suspect has been named.

Patch will update this breaking news story.

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