Current:Home > ContactPredictIQ-Tuskegee University closes its campus to the public, fires security chief after shooting -Trailblazer Capital Learning
PredictIQ-Tuskegee University closes its campus to the public, fires security chief after shooting
SafeX Pro View
Date:2025-04-07 23:10:24
MONTGOMERY,PredictIQ Ala. — Tuskegee University President Mark Brown announced Monday the Alabama campus will no longer be open to the public, a day after a shooting during homecoming weekend killed one person and injured 16 others.
Brown said the campus closure is effective immediately, and that all guests must wear visitor badges. The university has also fired its security chief and hired a replacement who will conduct a review of the shooting.
When reached by USA TODAY, a school spokesperson did not provide additional information about what prompted the replacement.
"The Tuskegee University community is heartbroken by what happened on our campus early Sunday morning," Brown said. "We offer condolences to the family of the young man who lost his life. We are providing as much support as we can to the students who were injured and their families, and are allowing all students who lived in the vicinity of the incident to relocate if they desire."
Sunday's shooting came as the private, historically Black university was celebrating its 100th homecoming weekend. Gunfire broke out on campus at an event that was not affiliated with the university, Brown said.
One person, an 18-year-old who was not affiliated with the school, was killed. Among the sixteen people who were wounded, authorities said 12 suffered gunshot injuries.
A suspect, Jaquez Myrick, 25, was arrested Sunday on a federal charge of possession of a machine gun. Authorities said he was seen leaving the scene of the shooting and found in possession of a handgun with a machine gun conversion device.
University hired over 70 officers for homecoming weekend
The university canceled classes on Monday and Tuesday. Brown said he would host town halls for the campus community to answer questions about the violence and that counseling is available to students.
Brown added that he doesn't plan to end the homecoming celebration, an integral part of HBCU tradition.
"We reunite our students with old friends," Brown said. "We celebrate our journey and how the university helped us along the way, and yes, we invest financially in the university that transformed our lives and that we all love dearly."
This year, Brown said he planned for thousands to attend the centennial festivities, and the university hired more than 70 law enforcement officers from across Alabama and Georgia. The university implemented a clear-bag policy and used weapon-sniffing dogs.
Brown noted the event where the shooting happened was not sanctioned or approved by the university, but it was on campus, and the school is taking "full responsibility for allowing a thorough investigation and implementing corrective actions."
"Students are our greatest asset, and we will do everything possible to protect them," Brown said. "Mother Tuskegee has been serving students and changing their lives for the betterment for some 143 years. We remain resolute to safely continuing that mission."
Tuskegee University was founded in 1881 in a one-room shanty by Dr. Booker T. Washington and Lewis Adams, who had been enslaved, according to the school website. The school received startup funding from the Alabama legislature and its first class had 30 students.
The school, which now has more than 3,000 students, graduates the most African American aerospace science engineers of any school in the nation, the website added.
Gunfire on college campuses
Since August, gunfire has broken out at or near college campuses in at least four states.
Last month, shots were fired near Tennessee State University following homecoming celebrations, killing one person and injuring nine others. Weeks later, the University of Bridgeport in Connecticut was locked down for hours after one person was shot during an altercation on campus, according to authorities.
In August, police arrested two 21-year-old men after four people were shot on Virginia State University's campus, all suffering non-life-threatening injuries. Police said the shooting happened just after midnight near the college's gym.
The Gun Violence Archive has tracked more than 14,600 firearm deaths and 28,000 injuries across the United States so far this year. In 2022, guns were the leading cause of death for children and teens for the third year in a row.
In Alabama alone, an average of 1,175 people die from guns each year, according to the Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. Alabama has some of the weakest gun control laws in the nation, the center said, and the fourth highest firearm death rate.
Contributing: John Bacon and Thao Nguyen, USA TODAY
Alex Gladden is the Montgomery Advertiser's education reporter. She can be reached at [email protected] or on Twitter @gladlyalex.
veryGood! (55)
Related
- Dick Vitale announces he is cancer free: 'Santa Claus came early'
- 3-year-old dies after Georgia woman keeps her kids in freezing woods overnight, police say
- Netflix wants to retire basic ad-free plan in some countries, shareholder letter says
- A pair of UK museums return gold and silver artifacts to Ghana under a long-term loan arrangement
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- Nick Dunlap turns pro after becoming first amateur to win PGA Tour event in 33 years
- Costa Rican court allows citizens to choose order of last names, citing gender discrimination
- French President Macron arrives in India, where he’ll be chief guest at National Day celebrations
- Spooky or not? Some Choa Chu Kang residents say community garden resembles cemetery
- AP PHOTOS: In Vietnam, vibrant Ho Chi Minh City is a magnet that pulls in millions
Ranking
- Will the 'Yellowstone' finale be the last episode? What we know about Season 6, spinoffs
- Melanie, Emmy-winning singer-songwriter whose career launched at Woodstock, dies at 76
- Israel vows to fight Hamas all the way to Gaza’s southern border. That’s fueling tension with Egypt
- Former Spanish Soccer Federation President to Face Trial for Kissing Jenni Hermoso After World Cup Win
- Intel's stock did something it hasn't done since 2022
- For 1 in 3 Americans, credit card debt outweighs emergency savings, report shows
- Hong Kong’s top court restores activist’s conviction over banned vigil on Tiananmen crackdown
- 'Still calling them Toro Rosso': F1 team's rebrand to Visa Cash App RB leaves fans longing
Recommendation
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Twitter reacts to Jim Harbaugh becoming the next head coach of the LA Chargers
At least 60 civilians were killed in Burkina Faso last year in military drone strikes, watchdog says
Hillary Clinton reacts to Margot Robbie, Greta Gerwig Oscars snub: You're both so much more than Kenough
Federal appeals court upholds $14.25 million fine against Exxon for pollution in Texas
eBay layoffs 2024: E-commerce giant eliminating around 1,000 jobs, 9% of workforce
Full Virginia General Assembly signs off on SCC nominees, elects judges
Global warming was primary cause of unprecedented Amazon drought, study finds