Tragedy struck Tuskegee University in Alabama as a shooting during homecoming week resulted in one teenager’s death and injuries to 16 others early on Sunday.
An 18-year-old man, who was not a student at the university, was fatally shot in the incident. Out of the 16 individuals injured, 12 sustained gunshot wounds, according to officials.
Tuskegee University confirmed that the victims, including several students, were receiving medical attention at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery. The university has communicated with the deceased individual’s family.
Authorities apprehended a 25-year-old man, who was found in possession of a firearm near the scene. He has been charged with a federal offense related to the shooting. The FBI has since joined the investigation to gather further details.
Among the injured were a female student suffering from a stomach gunshot wound and a male student who was shot in the arm, as reported by city’s police chief, Patrick Mardis.
The Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s State Bureau of Investigation received notification of the shooting at approximately 1:40 AM. Remarkably, officers were initially responding to an unrelated double shooting off-campus when they received the call about the incident at the university.
This violent event occurred as the historic black university was concluding its 100th homecoming week. In response to the shooting, all classes scheduled for Monday have been canceled.
Amare Hardee, the president of the student government association, expressed the profound impact of the shooting on the campus community: “This senseless act of violence has touched each of us, whether directly or indirectly.”
Credit: Sky News
