A shooting that occurred on Saturday night near the Bragg Memorial Stadium of Florida A&M University (FAMU) in Tallahassee, Florida, left 12 people injured, including six minors, among them an 11-year-old child.
The incident occurred around 8:00 p.m. at the intersection of Perry Street and Manatee Street, behind the stadium, approximately one hour after the FAMU Rattlers defeated the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff Golden Lions 31-28 in front of more than 20,000 spectators, during the main football game of the institution's annual homecoming celebrations.
Of the 12 victims, 11 sustained gunshot wounds and one was injured while attempting to flee the scene. One person remained in critical condition, three were in serious condition, and the others were stable. By the end of the reports, five had been discharged and six remained hospitalized.
The chief of the Tallahassee Police, Lawrence Revell, described the event as "an isolated incident between two or three individuals" and noted that authorities believe a single shooter was involved. At the time of the press conference, no arrests had been made nor had any suspects been publicly identified.
"We are still working at the scene. Our detectives, our sergeants, and our forensic staff are on site processing it as we go, gathering all the possible information," Revell stated.
The police chief also highlighted the response of his officers: "We had officers who picked up the victims and carried them in their arms to transport them because they couldn't make their way through the crowd."
At least one of the victims was a student at FAMU. The university issued a safety alert around 8:40 p.m., instructing its community to avoid the area around the stadium, and subsequently announced that the campus remained safe.
"Our hearts are with the victims and all those affected by the incident tonight on Perry Street," the institution stated on its social media.
The mayor of Tallahassee, John Dailey, who had attended the homecoming parade hours earlier, described the incident as a "truly horrible and heartbreaking tragedy" and assured that "the FAMU family is not alone."
Florida State University, located about a mile from FAMU, issued an emergency alert and advised students, faculty, and staff to remain indoors. The Violent Crimes Unit of the Tallahassee Police Department is in charge of the investigation.
The incident occurs within a pattern of gun violence during homecoming events at historically Black colleges and universities. According to data from Everytown Research published earlier this month, 81% of the shootings that took place during homecoming weeks in the United States have impacted campuses of these types of institutions, which represent only 2% of the universities in the country.
Since 2008, at least 86 shootings related to American football games or homecoming activities have resulted in at least 30 fatalities and 149 injuries on American university campuses.
The police requested the assistance of witnesses through the number 850-891-4200 or, anonymously, through the Crime Solvers line at 850-574-8477, as the investigation continued.
Related videos:
Filed under: