Atlanta/ Crime & Emergencies
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Published on February 12, 2024
Tri-Cities High School in East Point Increases Security After Student Fatally Shot, Community MournsSource: GoFundMe/Shanice Bailey

The Tri-Cities High School community in East Point has been left reeling after a student was fatally shot and another stabbed on Friday night following a basketball game, escalating concerns over security at the school.

Classes resumed today against a backdrop of enhanced safety measures including additional safety personnel and weapons detection systems, as reported by Atlanta News First, the measures have been introduced after the violence occurred as basketball fans were leaving the arena leaving residents and parents in a state of heightened anxiety.

Mario Bailey, a sophomore at the school, was the student who tragically lost his life in the incident, per information provided by the principal Dr. Ethel Lett. A mother at the school, Sherita Nesbit, expressed her dismay, telling Atlanta News First, "Increase the security period. Just like they have it out here now, they should’ve been had it, and it wouldn’t have happened."

The grief-stricken mother of the deceased student, Shanice Bailey, is mourning the loss of what she described to Atlanta News First as the "worst pain a mom could ever feel"; Mario was her only child, a committed student and a part-time employee with aspirations for the future, while authorities continue their search for the assailant no suspects have been apprehended as of Sunday.

In the wake of the fatal shooting, Tri-Cities High School principal Dr. Lett sent a letter to parents alerting them to possible changes in their children's behavior and assuring them that safety enhancements are underway, "You may see your child feeling sad, upset, angry, shocked, numb, or unsafe," Lett said, as mentioned in FOX 5 Atlanta. The school is offering both in-person and virtual support for its students during this period of mourning.

A GoFundMe page has been established to support the Bailey family with funeral expenses in this difficult time, with the school community and neighbors keeping the affected families in their thoughts and prayers, hoping such a tragedy does not recur.