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Police in Murfreesboro, Tennessee have made an arrest in the investigation of the high school graduation shooting Wednesday night (May 18) as the family of the victim mourns their loss.
Authorities say 18-year-old Sunny Gant was shot and killed on Middle Tennessee University's campus following the Riverdale High School graduation ceremony. Gant was a former football player and a 2021 graduate of Riverdale, his family said.
"Sunny always had a smile on his face, Sunny always brightened a room," Riverdale Football Coach Will Kriesky, told WKRN News.
"I think I'm going to miss that the most, that positivity. I'm going to miss that the most," Sunny's mother, Natalie Grant told the outlet. "He just always had a smile and was always ready to laugh and joke, he was a prankster, he knew better than to prank me but he just always had this light."
During a press conference on Thursday (May 19), police revealed a juvenile was taken into custody on a first-degree murder charge.
The shooting took place just before 9:00 p.m. as people were leaving the graduation ceremony, authorities said. Investigators say the unidentified teen was able to escape the scene by blending into the crowd and was located in Clarksville where he was taken into custody.
Two people suffered gunshot wounds near the tennis court facility. Gant died while a 17-year-old was taken to the hospital and is listed as being in "critical but stable condition." The unidentified victim is currently a junior at Riverside, a Rutherford County spokesperson confirmed.
The investigation is ongoing, but police say the shooting began as an argument that spilled over to the tennis courts.
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