Tuskegee University has recently suffered a tragic shooting on Nov. 10, 2024, in the midst of their homecoming celebrations. During the mass shooting, one person was killed and 16 others were injured.
The incident took place at the end of the school’s 100th Homecoming weekend at the West Commons on-campus apartments. The male who was killed in the shooting was 18 years old and not affiliated with the University. Among the 16 other injured, one was in critical condition.
One suspect was charged and taken into custody for possession of a machine gun. 25-year-old Jaquez Myrick from Montgomery, Alabama was found by officers fleeing the scene at the time of arrest.
Footage of the shooting that shows people ducking in parking lots to avoid fire has begun circulating on social media. The University responded by canceling classes the following Monday, Nov. 11, as well as offering grief counseling to students.
Campus closed after the shooting and faculty and students were mandated to wear their ID’s while on the campus. As a result of the shooting, Tuskegee’s campus security chief was terminated, and a new one will be conducting a review of the shooting incident.
The victim who was killed was identified as La’Tavion Johnson, an 18-year-old who lived in Troy, AL, and did not attend Tuskegee University. He was killed by pushing a woman out of the way of gunfire, leading to him getting shot instead.
Johnson’s father referred to a social media video posted to TikTok by the person his son defended and said:
“On one of the videos, a girl said he pushed her out of the way, and that’s when he got shot. She made a post that someone saved her life, and he lost his life.”
The mass shooting at Tuskegee is only one in a recent wave of HBCUs experiencing mass shootings.
Shomari Figures, the congressman representing Alabama’s District 2 said:
“Gun violence is ripping apart too many communities and taking far too many lives, especially the lives of young people. We must all work collectively to put an end to this, and I will work diligently to provide resources to address both the root causes and those that commit gun crimes.”
When asked about the events that transpired, HU finance major Sean Thompson, said:
“The shootings are truly tragic and just goes to show one major problem in America that we have yet to face.”
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