UPDATED: 15-year-old arrested on murder charges after 16-year-old killed near Southbend park
Published 10:20 am Sunday, March 5, 2023
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UPDATE: A 15-year-old was arrested on murder charges in connection to the shooting.
The suspect was also charged with four additional counts of aggravated assault stemming from this incident. The suspect is currently being held on these charges with no bond. This case is still under investigation and more charges may be pending.
ORIGINAL STORY:
A 16-year-old was shot and killed Saturday night near Southbend Park.
The victim was identified as Nasir Truitt, according to deputy coroner Amy Sheppard.
Sgt. Ley Wynne with the LaGrange Police Department said the call came in as shots fired at the skate park around 7:30 p.m. However, it appears the shooting actually took place on Pierce Street, right across from the park.
Pierce Street and the entire Southbend Park area, including the skate park, were covered in crime scene tape Saturday night.
Officers arrived on scene and rendered medical aid to the victim, who was transferred to West Georgia Medical Center.
“This is a family area. This is a great park with a lot of amenities. We don’t believe that it was necessarily the park was a part of it per se. It appears it happened on Pierce Street, actually in the roadway, at least based on the evidence we found,” Wynne said. “We don’t know if these individuals were walking down the street and were targeted for some reason, but nothing appears to have happened in the Southbend skate park area.”
Wynne urged anyone with information to come forward.
“If there was somebody on scene when it happened and they left and never came back, that information could be critical,” he said.
Wynne said there was a significant amount of people at the park when he arrived, though it was unclear how busy the park was when the incident took place.
There are numerous cameras in the park area, and Wynne said those are being reviewed.
Anyone with information is encouraged to call the LPD at (706) 883-2603 or Troup County Crime Stoppers at (706) 812-1000.