After Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz denied that the community where nursing student Laken Riley was allegedly murdered by an illegal immigrant was a sanctuary city, residents pointed to a video from 2020 that appears to show then-candidate John Williams, now the Athens-Clark County Sheriff, stating that he would not cooperate with ICE.

In the video, Williams told an Athens Politics Nerd reporter that he did not intend to cooperate with detainers, as he saw it as the sheriff’s responsibility to protect the community. He argued that a culture of fear would prevent the community from helping law enforcement in times of need.

While campaigning, Williams promised that he would not contribute to a “culture of fear” and emphasized the importance of building relationships with the community. He stated that the police would not do any round-ups or contribute to a culture of fear, as they wanted people to both respect and trust law enforcement.

The sheriff’s past comments were brought up after angry Georgia residents interrupted Girtz during a press briefing on the city’s plan to increase public safety. Protesters accused the mayor of lying and claimed he had “blood on his hands” for the murder.

Girtz denied that Athens was a sanctuary city and said that Georgia law did not allow for sanctuary cities. He reiterated that there had been no legislation from the government creating sanctuary city status.

Article generated from corporate media reports.

Fox News, to their credit, did at least highlight that Ibarra is not a U.S. citizen. Other news networks danced around and often never mentioned that part at all.

BREAKING NOW: Suspect in shooting of student found dead on University of Georgia’s campus NOT A CITIZEN of the United States..

WHEN DOES IT END? pic.twitter.com/p49NdLLbS7

— Chuck Callesto (@ChuckCallesto) February 24, 2024

This story has been in the national news spotlight since it broke Thursday. Let’s see how fast the coverage disappears now that it’s an illegal alien in custody. Here are the details generated from corporate media reports…

The University of Georgia Police Department has taken a suspect into custody in connection with the suspected homicide of a 22-year-old nursing student from Augusta University. The victim was found dead on the University of Georgia campus on February 23, 2024.

The suspect, Jose Antonio Ibarra, has been charged with malice murder, felony murder, aggravated battery, aggravated assault, false imprisonment, kidnapping, hindering a 911 call, and concealing the death of another. Police Chief Jeffrey L. Clark stated that the evidence against Ibarra is “robust,” and that campus security cameras played a significant role in the arrest.

According to Chief Clark, the attack appears to have been a “crime of opportunity,” and there is no known connection between the suspect and the victim. Ibarra is not a U.S. citizen and is believed to be from Venezuela. His immigration status is currently unknown.

Authorities are asking anyone who saw anything “relevant or suspicious” between 7 a.m. and noon on February 23 in the area of UGA’s Intramural Fields and Lake Herrick to call 706-542-2200.

The victim, identified as a former UGA student who had transferred to Augusta University’s nursing program, was found with visible injuries near Lake Herrick within 30 minutes of a concerned friend calling the police when she didn’t return from a run. Despite attempts to revive the victim using a defibrillator, she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Autopsy results are pending, but investigators are treating the case as a homicide, and they believe the victim died from blunt-force trauma. Classes and events at both universities were canceled on February 24 as a result of the incident.

The last reported homicide on the University of Georgia campus was 20 years ago, according to Chief Clark. Authorities are asking the public to avoid the area around Lake Herrick as they continue their investigation.