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Teen shot at bus stop in Georgia, mother says he's on life support

The 16-year-old sophomore at Central Gwinnett High School was shot in the early morning hours of Tuesday; a 17-year-old classmate is in custody.
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A 16-year-old high school student was shot Tuesday morning at a school bus stop in Georgia, according to local police.

Police arrested a 17-year-old in connection with the shooting in Lawrenceville, a city about 30 miles northeast of downtown Atlanta.

In a letter to the Central Gwinnett High School community, Principal Shane Orr said that both of the teens are students at the school.

"I have been notified that a 10th grader at our school has been identified as the victim," Orr said. "The police do have the person responsible in custody, and, unfortunately, the preliminary information I have received is that this individual is also a student at our school."

"As always, we appreciate your support of our students and school and ask that we all be there for each other during this difficult time," Orr wrote in the letter.

NBC News affiliate WXIA News reported that the victim was hospitalized in critical condition after being shot in the head.

The victim's mother, Latoya Nicholson, identified her son as Timothy Barnes Jr. while speaking to WXIA. "He’s on life support…but they’re doing everything they can do," Nicholson said.

Nicholson did not immediately respond to an NBC News request for comment.

In an email to NBC News, the Lawrenceville Police Department said they had the same information about the victim's condition as the family. Police have not identified the suspect.

In September, two teenage students in Kentucky were shot, onefatally, while waiting for the school bus.