On Tuesday, April 23, University of Georgia President Jere Morehead issued a campus-wide message to faculty, staff and students in the wake of the shooting of UGA player Tate Prezzano during an armed robbery. Here is the statement in its entirety:
The safety and well-being of our students, faculty and staff is, and always will be, our top priority.
On Monday morning, a fourth-year student, Tate Prezzano, was shot during an armed robbery at a bus stop on South Milledge Avenue. Another student nearby had been robbed a few minutes earlier, but thankfully, was not hurt. We are grateful that the Athens-Clarke County Police Department and Georgia Bureau of Investigation have already arrested a suspect in these senseless crimes.
I have visited with Tate’s family in the hospital and have joined with representatives from Student Affairs in expressing the care and concern of our entire campus community for his well-being. Although this incident occurred off-campus, University Police Chief Dan Silk is continuing to work very closely with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department to coordinate efforts between the agencies to emphasize safety and security on and around the UGA campus.
Our thoughts and prayers remain with Tate and the other student victim, as well as with their family and friends.
Jere W. Morehead
President
A second student was robbed a short while before Prezzano was shot. He was not injured during that armed robbery, belived to be by the same suspect, 20-year old Athens man Zarren Garner.
