In the wake of school fights this week and a shooting last night, Burke County Sheriff Alfonzo Williams is sending out a warning to the perpetrators of end-of-year school fights and other violence in the community.
Below is a message the Sheriff posted on social media just after Saturday night’s shooting incident.
If the persons engaged in the shooting activity in our community and the school fights over the past week think I’m the type leader who will allow this to continue in any form, they are sadly mistaken. It matters not that injuries are non life threatening, persons are not injured, or victims refuse to cooperate. It doesn’t matter whether it is occurring in the city or county jurisdictions.
Those who are hosting events where these activities are taking place are being noticed—you are responsible for what happens at your event.
We are going to ramp up our proactive measures to curb this activity ahead of the end of school and summer break. This means more aggressive traffic stops, more in-depth investigations, and greater enforcement of county ordinances and misdemeanor offenses to prevent matters from becoming more serious and widespread.
Those persons engaging in conduct at school or in the community that would tend to increase incidences of violent crime will be dealt with in the strictest manner possible.
We love people and our community. With love comes discipline. As a result, we will not stand by while people injure one another or create fear in our community. Consider this an official warning.
On Monday, our deputies will be told to tighten down and stop the ugliness being perpetrated on our citizens. We will not become numb to violence, nor will we accept it as a reality. This is a challenge we will win. Hands down!
About Burke County: Burke County is situated in eastern Georgia and is home to roughly 22,000 residents. In therms of education, 81% of the population holds a high school diploma, and 18% have attained a bachelor’s degree or higher. The county has a modest median household income of $37,000, which is indicative of its rural and close-knit community.
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