A devastating shooting took place at Tuskegee University in Alabama early Sunday, leaving one person dead and 16 others injured, 12 of whom sustained gunshot wounds, as reported by law enforcement authorities. The victim, an 18-year-old male, was not enrolled at the university, but several of the injured were students. To date, no arrests have been made in connection with the incident.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency confirmed that 12 individuals were injured by gunfire, while four others sustained injuries unrelated to the shooting. The FBI has joined the investigation and is appealing to the public for assistance, including any video footage that may be available. An online portal has been set up to facilitate the submission of such evidence.
The shooting took place during the historically Black university’s centennial Homecoming Week. In the wake of the tragedy, Tuskegee University has suspended all classes for Monday and will offer grief counseling services at the university’s chapel.
The university has confirmed that the parents of the deceased have been notified. Several injured individuals, including Tuskegee University students, are currently undergoing treatment at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery.
An autopsy on the deceased 18-year-old is set to be conducted at the state’s forensic center in Montgomery, as stated by Macon County Coroner Hal Bentley. Tuskegee’s Police Chief, Patrick Mardis, reported that the injured include a female student who was shot in the stomach and a male student who was shot in the arm.
The shooting took place at the West Commons on-campus apartments. Mardis revealed that city police were responding to an unrelated double shooting off campus when they received the call about the university shooting.
The university community is deeply affected by the incident, according to Amare’ Hardee, a senior from Tallahassee, Florida, and president of the student government association. He expressed his sorrow during the school’s homecoming convocation Sunday morning. Miles College in Fairfield, Alabama, Tuskegee’s opponent for the homecoming football game, extended their condolences in a statement.
This incident follows a shooting at a Tuskegee University student housing complex just over a year ago, where four people were injured. Tuskegee University, located about 40 miles east of Alabama’s capital city of Montgomery, has an enrollment of approximately 3,000 students. The university is recognized as the first historically Black college to be designated as a Registered National Landmark in 1966 and a National Historic Site in 1974.