DECATUR -- The Benton County Sheriff's Office is investigating a shooting death that happened on the evening of March 11 in Decatur, Lt. Shannon Jenkins said.
Jenkins, a spokeswoman for the Sheriff's Office, said Decatur police asked the sheriff's office to work on the shooting investigation. She said one person is dead.
"This is an isolated situation," Jenkins said. "Like any death investigation, we will investigate and will not be able to share further information as it is an open case."
Decatur School District Superintendent Steven Watkins, citing the ongoing investigation, said a high school senior has died.
"It's always tough," Watkins said. "We'll pull together and get through it."
Watkins said that grief counselors were made available for students and staff members.
A post on the School District's Facebook page on March 12 referenced a student's death. "Out of respect for our high school student we lost last night and his family, we are making the decision to reschedule tonight's athletic events," the post states.
Though no official information has been released by law enforcement, a Decatur School District Facebook post on Thursday indicated the senior killed in the shooting was Barry Jun Mongkeya.
The post promoted a GoFundMe.com fundraiser created by Jackie Hidalgo for the family of Mongkeya.
The post stated, "Hello, everyone. I am obliged to help this family in any way possible. 3/12/24 was the hardest day of certain people's lives. Barry Jun Mongkeya's life has been taken way too soon to a horrific accident. His family has to face the cost and the emotional damage for everything that has happened in the past couple of days and the rest of their lives. Barry was a beautiful soul and those of you that knew him knew that he wanted the best for everyone around him. His smile would brighten every room he entered. He helped anyone in any way he could. He was always pushing his little brother Kosu to be the best person he could be because he knew the potential Kosu has. My heart will forever be broken for this family and friends. There are so many peoples lives that have been affected by this horrible tragedy, I know that it is very hard to keep moving forward with your head up but this is what Barry would want ..."