School Shooting Victim in Alabama Courtlin Arrington Is Remembered, Police Charges Classmate with Manslaughter
Huffman High School student, Michael Jerome Barber, 17, has been charged with manslaughter in the shooting that killed 17-year-old student Courtlin Arrington on Wednesday, March 7.
According to Atlanta Black Star, Jefferson County District Attorney Michael Anderson stated in a press conference last Friday that Barber was charged for bringing “a pistol onto the campus of Huffman High School and recklessly causing the death of [Courtlin] Arrington.” Barber is currently being held on $73,000 bond.
The deadly encounter occurred in a classroom. Arrington was given CPR on the way to the local hospital but did not survive. Barber was injured as well and suffered a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the leg. Orlando Wilson, Birmingham Interim Police Chief, stated that he was not aware of any kind of argument or fight that took place before the shooting occurred.
Arrington was set to graduate in May and had dreams of becoming a nurse. She was already accepted to college to pursue those dreams.
“We’re not just talking about some person, we’re talking about losing a part of our future,” Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said. “Our hearts are heavy.”
Superintendent Lisa Herring announced that the district is currently reviewing security measures with saying, “We have not only heightened our procedures, but we are revamping and revisiting, with an extreme amount of urgency, those protocols, not just for Huffman High School, but for every single school in Birmingham.”
During a time of the #MarchForOurLives Movement after the Parkland shooting and the walk outs that occurred nationwide, many other people took the time to express their condolences on Twitter using the hashtag #CourtlinArrington.
Check out the tweets below.
We are very saddened to hear the news of another school shooting in Alabama. The death of Courtlin Arrington is a tragedy, and can never be viewed as “normal”.
We demand justice for all students impacted by gun violence, as well as their families. #CourtlinArrington
— #MarchForOurLives Atlanta (@MFOLGeorgia) March 8, 2018
A young aspiring nurse, #CourtlinArrington, was robbed of a future yesterday in an “accidental shooting” at an Alabama School. As we mourn with her family, let’s do what we can to live for her today & to keep fighting against further preventable tragedies. #NotOneMore #NeverAgain https://t.co/gZ1duWqLy3
— Jessica (@jessicaxan) March 8, 2018
#CourtlinArrington age 17, was killed in a school shooting last week in Alabama, yet we barely heard a word about her – Say her name- she matters – March for her life too on 3/24/18 #SaturdayMotivation @Emma4Change @Everytown @MomsDemand @shannonrwatts @MeghanAnomaly pic.twitter.com/GF8wZZa47h
— M H Davis (@MHDavisNewYork) March 10, 2018
