PINE BLUFF, Ark. (AP) — A 15-year-old boy who was shot at an Arkansas junior high school earlier this week has died.
A Pine Bluff police spokesman says the boy, identified by his family and the Watson Chapel School District as Daylon Burnett, died Wednesday at a Little Rock hospital.
“It is with great sadness that according to the mother’s Facebook page, Daylon Burnett has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends,” wrote the school district in a Facebook post.
A judge has set a $1 million bond for another 15-year-old boy accused of shooting his classmate Monday at Watson Chapel Junior High School in Pine Bluff, about 40 miles southeast of Little Rock. The boy was being held on a first-degree battery charge in the shooting.
NBC News reportsthe shooting happened in a hallway outside the school’s main office shortly before 10 a.m. local time. Police have not revealed a motive in the shooting, but told NBC that it was “targeted.”
Since the shooting on Monday, students at the school had been doing virtual learning, but the district announced Wednesday that they’d be returning to on-site instruction Thursday.
The district added that additional security would be provided by Pine Bluff police and the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office.
School officials encouraged students to take advantage of professionals who will be present to provide counseling and guidance following the shooting.
“The events of this week have been tragic. It has been a traumatic week for our students and our staff. I truly believe that students and staff will work together in the coming days to the best benefit of us all,” wrote the district’s superintendent, Dr. Jerry Guess.