West Bladen student shot and killed after basketball game Monday night

A Bladen County teenager died after a shooting following the East Bladen – West Bladen basketball game Monday night.

Police said around 10:00 p.m., shots were fired at the McDonald’s on South Poplar Street in Elizabethtown.

Nineteen-year-old Jahkee Sledge of Clarkton was shot in the torso. He was transported to Bladen County hospital, where he died.

Sledge was a senior at West Bladen High School.

There was extra security on campus today, in the wake of last night’s shooting.

Robert Kinlaw, Elizabethtown’s police chief, said, “It’s not uncommon for the kids to get together after a ballgame. We’ve never had this type of problem in the past. We’ve had problems with fights and crowd control, but nothing in the past that’s rises to this level of violence.”

McDonalds is one of two popular hangouts in Elizabethtown for post-game celebrations. Police said students from both schools were there when sledge was shot.