A University of West Georgia professor was fired after he was charged with the shooting death of a student early Saturday morning.
Carollton Police said that Richard Sigman, a professor in the school’s business department, had been at Leopoldo’s Pizza at Adamson Square in Carrollton and got into an argument with another man. The man notified security that Sigman, 47, had threatened to shoot him.
Security approached him, saw his weapon, and asked him to leave the restaurant. He did so, walking toward the parking deck outside.
Investigators say that when Sigman reached the parking deck, he began firing into a parked car, striking Anna Jones, an 18-year-old student at West Georgia. Friends drove her to the hospital, where she was pronounced dead.
Hospital personnel called Carrollton police to the scene. Investigators determined that Sigman was the suspect, located him, and took him into custody, charging him with murder and three counts each of aggravated assault and possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime. He has not yet had a bond hearing.
Police also noted that the injury to Sigman’s head seen in his mugshot occurred before he was located and arrested, WSB reported.
Investigators said Sigman was intoxicated during the altercation with the man.
WGCL reported that university president Brandon Kelly issued a statement acknowledging Jones’s death and saying the school had “terminated the employment of Richard Sigman.”
“On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends,” Kelly wrote. “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.”
Jones, a freshman, was a recent graduate of Mount Zion High School in Carrollton. She was not one of Sigman’s students.
Kelly added that counseling and other support services were available for students, faculty, and staff.
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[Featured image: Anna Jones/GoFundMe]
