'Intoxicated' Professor Opens Fire In Parking Deck, Fatally Shoots 18-Year-Old Student: Police

Carrollton, Georgia -- A 47-year-old former University of West Georgia (UWG) professor was arrested and charged in connection with the shooting death of an 18-year-old student in Carrollton, Georgia, Saturday.

Carrollton Police Department investigators said Richard Sigman was taken into custody after officers were called to Tanner Medical Center at around 12:30 a.m. Saturday about a woman who arrived at the facility shot, 11Alive.com reported.

According to initial evidence obtained by investigators, Sigman got into a verbal altercation with another man at Leopoldo’s, a popular pizzeria in Adamson Square.

During the altercation, the other unnamed man sought the help of security saying that Sigman allegedly threatened to shoot him. When security approached the former professor, they saw the gun and asked Sigman to leave.

Sigman obeyed and walked toward the parking deck, police said. However, he then started opening fire in the area and struck a woman, identified as Anna Jones, who was sitting in a parked vehicle, according to authorities.

Friends of the teenage girl quickly brought Jones to the hospital, where the 18-year-old was later pronounced dead, WSB-TV reported.

Police said Sigman was intoxicated at the time of the altercation and the shooting.

He is facing three counts of aggravated assault, possession of a firearm during the commission of a crime and murder charges. He was booked into the Carroll County Jail.

In a statement obtained by 11Alive, a UWG spokesperson confirmed that Jones was enrolled as an incoming freshman at the university and that Sigman was fired following the shooting.

“On behalf of the university, we wish to convey our deepest condolences to Anna’s family and many friends,” said Dr. Brendan Kelly, UWG’s president. “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.”

The university is now closely coordinating with the police, and the investigation is currently ongoing.

Though she was enrolled to attend UWG in the fall, Jones was not one of Sigman's students, police said. She was a recent graduate of Mount Zion High School.

"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. Anna loved this school and this community and she will be missed dearly by many," a spokesperson for the high school said in a statement posted to social media.

A GoFundMe has been set up by loved ones to help cover the funeral expenses of the victim.