A reward of $25,000 is being offered for details in the death of a former Paulding County high school soccer star who was killed by a stray bullet at her job in South Georgia, officials said Thursday.
Brianna “Bri” Long, 21, of Dallas, was a bartender at The Pier, a bar on Baytree Road in Remerton, a small city encircled by Valdosta. On Oct. 29, Long and other employees were closing the bar, formerly known as Flip Flops, around 2:30 a.m. when gunfire erupted outside. Long was struck by a bullet and died at South Georgia Medical Center.
The Lowndes County Sheriff’s Office announced Thursday that a “concerned citizen” is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible in Long’s death. Officials did not identify the person offering the reward.
The GBI said the shooting stemmed from an altercation outside The Pier and that several patrons were in the area when it occurred. Multiple vehicles were also damaged by the gunfire.
The agency confirmed that “there was another intended victim,” and Long was not being targeted.
Long was a fourth-year dental hygiene student at Valdosta State University, a spokesperson confirmed. She was completing her final clinical courses at Wiregrass Georgia Technical College, just north of VSU.
“Our hearts are broken over the senseless loss of Brianna Long,” the university said in a statement. “The death of a student affects the entire VSU community, and every member of our Blazer Nation family sends the deepest expressions of sympathy to Brianna’s family and friends as they process this devastating loss.”
In 2020, while attending Paulding County High, she was selected as a regional winner for Positive Athlete Georgia in the girls soccer category. More than 6,000 student-athletes are nominated each year, according to the organization.
Anyone with information on the shooting is asked to call the GBI’s Thomasville office at 229-225-4090, the Lowndes sheriff’s office at 229-671-2985 or the 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.
