A high school prom celebration turned deadly after gunfire erupted at a local park, killing a teenage girl and wounding four others, according to officials.
Saturah Hayes, 17, was fatally shot Friday evening in Brownsville, Tenn. — about an hour northeast of Memphis — where Haywood High School students decked out in tuxedos and dresses gathered for photographs before the big dance, police and school officials said.
Four others were shot and hospitalized, according to police. It’s not clear how many of those wounded were students.
The prom was cut short and the school was closed Monday to give Hayes’ classmates time to grieve, Action News 5 reported.
The slain teen “was a hard-working student with a positive attitude” who was “full of potential and promise with hopes and plans for the future that will now remain unrealized,” Amie Marsh, superintendent of Haywood County Schools, said in a statement.
“The senseless tragedy that occurred last night leaves a hole in our hearts and will forever change the lives of all the families touched by this unspeakable event,” Marsh said.
“We must also continue to uplift the students and families who were injured last night. Their only goal was celebration o f their children and now they must navigate the road to recovery,” she added.
Hundreds of mourners lined the streets of Brownsville on Sunday as Hayes’ casket was driven through the city’s downtown, according to WREG.
“We shouldn’t be here today doing this. It’s just senseless…it’s uncalled for…but we want to support the family in any way we can during this time of need,” said Brownsville Mayor William “Bill” Rawls.
“I can’t just tell you how much it bothers me, and everyone in this community, that we have to be here today for such a thing as this.”
No arrests have been made as of Monday, but the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation has asked for the public’s help in identifying the shooter or shooters.
“I will commit this Sheriff’s Office and all our resources, to bring justice for [Hayes’] family. Our county is a great place to live and is a strong, close-knit community, especially in times like these,” Haywood County Sheriff Billy Garrett, Jr. said.
Just over three years ago, the same community was struck by tragedy when Christine Michael, a 4.0 student and the Haywood High School class president, was shot and killed while driving home from a high school basketball game.
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