A women’s basketball player for the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff was shot and killed Monday in her hometown of Lake Village, according to state police and the university.
Sierra’Li Wade, 18, was found shot around 6 p.m. in Henry Augustus Johnson Park, according to a statement from state police spokesman Bill Sadler. She was taken to Chicot Memorial Hospital and pronounced dead.
The Lake Village Police Department has requested Arkansas State Police investigators assist with the case. The statement said a second person was shot in the incident but those injuries were not life-threatening.
A post from the university expressed condolences and said Wade was playing basketball when she was shot. In addition to being a student athlete, the post states she was an ROTC cadet.
"This news is truly devastating for our campus community—even more so because it occurred as we approach the Thanksgiving holiday," the post said.
Wade was a freshman guard, according to her profile on the basketball team’s website. Online box scores show she did not play in any of the team’s three games so far this season.