NEW DETAILS: Victim identified in Lowndes Co. bar shooting, GBI investigates
REMERTON, Ga. (WALB) - The Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI) has taken over the investigation of a shooting incident that happened in Remerton early Sunday morning that left one woman dead.
On Sunday, Oct. 29, at around 2:40 a.m. the GBI was requested to start a murder investigation at the Pier Bar by the Remerton Police Department (RPD).
The victim has been identified as Brianna Long, 21, where she worked as a bartender. Long was taken to South Georgia Medical Center where she later died from her injuries, according to the release.
The shooting took place when most employees were left inside and a few patrons who were friends of the employees. It was determined that the gunfire came from outside and struck Long as she was finishing her work with another co-worker.
According to GBI, “This shooting was senseless and believed to have stemmed from some type of altercation that took place outside The Pier. Regardless, an innocent person was killed due to someone else’s careless actions. Many people were endangered by these actions that took place. Additional patrons were outside still in the parking lot when the shooting took place.”
Long was from Dallas, Georgia. She was a dental hygiene major at Valdosta State University and was taking her clinical courses on the campus of Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. She was set to graduate from Valdosta State University in 2024.
Robbyn DeSpain, Valdosta State University Director of Strategic Communications, said in a statement, “Our hearts are broken over the senseless loss of Brianna Long. We are keeping her family and friends in our thoughts and prayers.”
The VSU Counseling Center has 24/7 resources for students needing grief assistance, including those in the VSU Dental Hygiene program on the Wiregrass Georgia Technical College campus.
Faculty and staff in need of grief-support services are encouraged to contact KEPRO, our Employee Assistance Program, at (844) 243-4440 to connect with a local professional. The code to access this service is USGCares. FamilyWorks, an on-campus clinic operated by the Marriage and Family Therapy program, is also available at 229-219-1281.
In the video, you will see a blurred video of someone who was riding past the bar at the time gunshots rang. The video is blurred to protect that person’s identity, but you can hear several gunshots ring out in the area.
This case is active and ongoing and anyone with information on this case is asked to call the GBI Thomasville Office at (229) 225-4090, or Remerton Police Department at (229) 247-2320.
Anonymous tips can also be submitted by calling 1-800-597-TIPS (8477), online at https://gbi.georgia.gov/submit-tips-online, or by downloading the See Something, Send Something mobile app.
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