Georgia High School Shooter Released From Prison

BUFORD, GA — T. J. Solomon, who shot and injured six people at a Rockdale County high school in 1999, was released from prison on Tuesday.

Solomon had served 17 years of his 20-year sentence when he was released from Phillips State Prison in Buford, Georgia, reports Fox 5 Atlanta.

Solomon was granted early parole this month by the Georgia State Board of Pardons and Paroles, according to the AJC.

On May 20, 1999, Solomon, then 15, walked into Heritage High School and used his stepfather's .22-caliber rifle and a .357 Magnum revolver to shoot six people. The shooting happened one month after the Columbine High School shooting in Colorado.

Solomon was convicted and sentenced to 40 years in 2000 after his lawyers said he was mentally ill. His sentence was later reduced to 20 years.

According to the Rockdale Citizen, Solomon must be placed on voice recognition monitoring; prohibited from the grounds of any Georgia public school; and have no contact with the victims.

The parole board said Solomon has "demonstrated a clear record of rehabilitation including successfully performing in a Department of Correction work release program."

But Richard Read, the Rockdale County district attorney who prosecuted the case, said, “The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Well, part of his past behavior is walking into a high school setting and shooting six kids.”

Image: Georgia Department of Corrections