By Erika Hernandez
02 Nov 2023, 2:55 PM EDT
Authorities reported that a young former high school football star in Georgia21 years old, was hit and killed by a stray bullet while finishing his work shift at a bar over the weekend.
Brianna Long and other employees were closing the The Pier bar in Remerton around 2:30 a.m. Sunday when there was a shooting outside the bar, according to a news release from the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.
Long was taken to South Georgia Medical Center after being hit by one of the bullets, but died later. A medical examiner will perform an autopsy.
Police said an initial investigation suggests that there was an altercation outside The Pier which led to the shooting, which also left several vehicles with gunshots.
The Georgia Bureau of Investigation is investigating the death and are still searching for the shooter.
Long was selected from among 5,000 students as the Georgia Regional Positive Athlete Winneraccording to Paulding County High School.
The bar where Long worked as a bartender issued a statement on Instagram that read: “As most of you know, we lost the beautiful soul of Brianna Long tragically and suddenly early Sunday morning. Writing this seems impossible and is incredibly devastating, like a terrible nightmare that we wish we could all wake up from.”
“It is difficult to find the right words because there is really nothing right about the situation,” the bar association added.
“If you knew Bri, you loved her. “Her kindness and love radiated toward all who had the opportunity to know her, know her, and love her,” they added.
His family told WSB-TV that Long was a lifeguard as well as a high school football star and cheerleader.
“There wasn’t a fun moment that we didn’t have with Brianna,” her uncle Kevin Long told the station. “She always made everyone smile.”
Long is survived by his parents, two brothers, his grandparents and many other relatives. A GoFundMe to support the family had raised nearly $10,000 as of Thursday morning.
This Sunday there will be a public celebration of Long’s life at his old high school.
The investigation continues and anyone with information about the case is asked to call the GBI Thomasville office at 229-225-4090 or the Remerton Police Department at 229-247-2320.
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