A 21-year-old former Paulding County high school soccer star was killed by a stray bullet over the weekend while closing the South Georgia bar where she worked, according to authorities.
Brianna “Bri” Long, of Dallas, was a bartender at The Pier, a bar off Baytree Road in Remerton, a small city encircled by Valdosta. The venue was formerly known as Flip Flops.
According to the GBI, which is investigating the shooting, Long and other employees were closing the bar around 2 a.m. Sunday. About 30 minutes later, several people were still outside when gunfire erupted as a result of “some type of altercation,” the GBI said.
Long was struck and rushed to South Georgia Medical Center, where she died.
The GBI has not said what sparked the altercation or if any suspects have been identified. Multiple vehicles were also damaged by the gunfire.
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.
The GBI asks anyone with information on the shooting to call the agency’s Thomasville office at 229-225-4090 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.
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