(NewsNation) — Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz addressed the media Wednesday about what the city is doing to keep its community safe following the brutal killing of 22-year-old Laken Riley on the University of Georgia campus last week.
When discussing immigration issues, including the fact that Athens defined itself as a “sanctuary city” — during the conference, attendees began shouting at Girtz, calling him a “liar” and telling him to resign. The attendees continued to accuse him of having “blood on his hands” for Riley’s death.
Community members heckled the mayor while he attempted to take questions from the press. The disruptive behavior continued throughout the conference, delaying the mayor from asking pressing questions about the city’s stance on immigration in the wake of Riley’s death.
“We will do more,” Girtz said.
Girtz also discussed new safety measures the city will be taking. Among the first changes to be seen is the advancement of the city’s Real-Time Crime Center. The city will also be rolling out a mobile closed-circuit television, heavy-duty surveillance trailer that will be deployed during large community events.
The city will also enhance funding for vehicles for the police department and expand the city’s pan, tilt and zoom camera rays to areas where data indicates they are needed.
The university announced Tuesday it will invest $7.3 million to shore up campus security in the coming months.
More police officers, more security cameras, more crosswalks, more lights — all part of new safety measures being implemented at UGA.
Additional security cameras, license plate readers and more blue light call boxes that can also record CCTV footage will all be added as part of the effort to keep students safe.
UGA has its own fully functioning police department, not just campus security, and it will receive a permanent 20% budget increase to recruit and retain officers. The UGA Police Department is the agency currently investigating Riley’s death.
This comes as court documents reveal gruesome details about Riley’s death. Investigators say Riley was beaten to death in broad daylight while on a run on a campus exercise trail Thursday.
Prosecutors allege Jose Ibarra, 26, beat Riley with an object, disfiguring the nursing student’s skull during Thursday’s attack. Ibarra, who entered the country illegally in 2022, then allegedly dragged her body to a secluded area off the jogging path in an attempt to conceal her body.
Preliminary autopsy reports say Riley died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Funeral services for the late nursing student are set for March 1 in her hometown of Woodstock.
Alpha Chi Omega sorority members mourn the loss of their sorority sister, Laken Riley, during a vigil for the Augusta University College of Nursing student at the Tate Plaza on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus, was found dead Thursday, Feb. 22, after a roommate reported she didn’t return from a morning run in a wooded area of the UGA campus near its intramural fields. Students also gathered to pay tribute to a UGA student who committed suicide last week. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) 
People gather to mourn the loss of Laken Riley during a vigil for the Augusta University College of Nursing student at the Tate Plaza on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus, was found dead Thursday, Feb. 22, after a roommate reported she didn’t return from a morning run in a wooded area of the UGA campus near its intramural fields. Students also gathered to pay tribute to a UGA student who committed suicide last week. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP) 
Laken Riley was found dead on the University of Georgia campus after she went for a jog. (Courtesy: Augusta University) 
University of Georgia students gather to pay tribute to Laken Riley at the Tate Plaza on campus in Athens, Ga., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus, was found dead Thursday, Feb. 22, after a roommate reported she didn’t return from a morning run in a wooded area of the UGA campus near its intramural fields. Students also gathered to pay tribute to a UGA student who committed suicide last week. (Nell Carroll/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) 
Students gather at the Tate Plaza on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024, to pay tribute to Laken Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus who was found dead Thursday, Feb. 22, after a roommate reported she didn’t return from a morning run in a wooded area of the UGA campus near its intramural fields. UGA students also gathered to pay tribute to a student who committed suicide last week. (Nell Carroll/Atlanta Journal-Constitution via AP) 
A crowd of people gather to mourn the loss of Laken Riley during a vigil for the Augusta University College of Nursing student at the Tate Plaza on the University of Georgia campus in Athens, Ga., Monday, Feb. 26, 2024. Riley, a nursing student at Augusta University’s Athens campus, was found dead Thursday, Feb. 22, after a roommate reported she didn’t return from a morning run in a wooded area of the UGA campus near its intramural fields. Students also gathered to pay tribute to a UGA student who committed suicide last week. (Joshua L. Jones/Athens Banner-Herald via AP)