MURFREESBORO, Tenn. (WTVF) — Murfreesboro Police Department officials announced a 17-year-old is charged with first-degree murder in connection with a teen's death after Riverdale High School's graduation.
Police didn't release the name of the shooter, and Riverdale High School will remain closed Friday for students, who will return to class on Monday. The shooter — who was arrested in Clarksville — is a former student of Riverdale High School. The person injured is a junior at the school, according to Rutherford County Schools officials. Hasani "Sunny" Brewer-Gant died as a result of the shooting and is a graduate of Riverdale High School.
"It's a sad day for our community," MPD spokesperson Larry Flowers said. "This was a senseless act of violence that should have never happened. This is not Murfreesboro. We are better than this. We will find the motive that led to the death of another person. That's why we worked hard to get him identified. Incidents like this show how close this community really is."
Counselors will be on the Riverdale High School campus on Friday. Blackman High School seniors will graduate Thursday night at MTSU's Murphy Center.
This investigation is still active. It will be up to a judge to determine whether the 17-year-old will be tried as an adult. Flowers said it wasn't clear how the 17-year-old got the firearm. The victims and the suspect all knew each other.
"He shot into a crowd of people on a college campus," Flowers said. "He fled the area. The important thing to note is this violent killer is off the streets. Children were celebrating a night that should've been special to them, and it ended in gunfire."
