Jefferson High School in Georgia mourns senior Elijah Dewitt killed in mall shooting

Georgia’s Jefferson High School football program is mourning the loss of Elijah Dewitt, as the 17-year old passed away overnight after a shooting at the Sugarloaf Mills Mall in Gwinnett County, according to the school football team’s Twitter account.

Dewitt was a standout wide receiver for Jefferson High School, and was a member of the Class of 2023.

CLICK HERE to subscribe for FREE to the On3 YouTube channel

The Jefferson High School Football program is heartbroken as we mourn the loss of one of our own, Elijah DeWitt. The DeWitt family is in our thoughts and prayers. We appreciate your understanding as we respect the family’s privacy during this time. pic.twitter.com/9q2l6nujPA

— Jefferson 🏈 Football (@JeffersonFootba) October 6, 2022

“The Jefferson High School Football program is heartbroken as we mourn the loss of one of our own, Elijah DeWitt. The DeWitt family is in our thoughts and prayers,” tweeted Jefferson Football. “We appreciate your understanding as we respect the family’s privacy during this time.”

According to Gwinnett County police, the shooting took place at the entrance near the Dave & Buster’s at the mall. They’ve been gathering all the evidence they can and speaking to witnesses, but were able to identify DeWitt as the victim in the process.

“Currently detectives are exploring all motives,” Gwinnett County police spokesperson Hideshi Valle said, per FOX 5 Atlanta. “We do not know what led up to the shooting.”

DeWitt was having a fantastic season, amassing over 500 receiving yards and five touchdowns, while adding 12 tackles and an interception to his tally. He received an offer from Arkansas State earlier this year, and more schools were bound to be interested in his services.

Nevertheless, football seems less important while families deal with unimaginable grief, and our thoughts and prayers are with the DeWitt family and Jefferson High School at this time.