SAGINAW, MI — As Saginaw High School students attended their prom, the district's superintendent was meeting families of shooting victims at a hospital.

"It's not somewhere we want to be,"

Superintendent Carlton

Jenkins said.

Grief counselors are available at Saginaw High School following the shooting that killed a 17-year-old Saginaw High School student and injured three others women during an unofficial pre-prom gathering in Saginaw.

The dead teen is Tonquinisha "NeNe" McKinley, her relatives confirmed.

Three grief counselors will be at the school and available to speak with staff or students today, Friday, May 24, spokeswoman Safiya Mosley said.

The school district administration discouraged students from meeting in large groups before the prom, according to Jenkins.

"This isn't a district-sponsored event," Jenkins said. "It's something

students

and parents do on their own. We try to discourage it. We want to make sure we provide a safe and orderly experience at the prom, but they sometimes choose to still do it.

"It saddens all of us," he said, adding that the school district will continue to work with others to help make the community safe.

Related: Homicide map through May 24

The police department and school administration are strongly discouraging students from meeting in large groups before the Arthur Hill prom on May 24.

Jenkins said the district is proud of the teens who did not go to unsanctioned pre-prom parties and had a positive experience at prom.

Tonquinisha "NeNe" McKinley

He said the district and police have been proactive in trying to stop violence related to the annual event, but social media allows students to keep in communication with each other, and once police or someone from the school is spotted at a gathering, "they'll just move it to another place," Jenkins said.

Students had gathered at a location on Sheridan on May 23 and moved to the Florence Event Hall after they were kicked off the Sheridan property, police have said.

He said the district has been telling students for years not to gather in large groups before prom, noting the district sends that clear message during pre-prom meetings with students.

After the homicide of the Saginaw High female teen, the district sent another alert to Arthur Hill families on May 24, the day of the prom.

"I'll say it again," Jenkins said to anyone planning to go to an unsanctioned pre-prom party. "Don't go."

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