An arrest has been made in the shooting at Tuskegee University in Alabama early Sunday that left one dead and 16 injured. The shooting happened as the historically Black university’s 100th Homecoming Week was coming to an end.
The 25-year-old male suspect was found with a weapon while leaving the shooting scene at the university early Sunday; he has been arrested and charged with a federal offense. A statement released by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency identified the man in custody as Jaquez Myrick of Montgomery and said he was found in possession of a handgun with a machine gun conversion device. The statement did not say whether Myrick was a student at Tuskegee University; he faces a federal charge of possession of a machine gun (per AP News.).
In a statement the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA), which includes the State Bureau of Investigation, said that special agents were notified about multiple people shot on the university’s campus at around 1:40 a.m. An 18-year-old was pronounced dead on the scene, the agency said, who identified the victim as “a non-university individual.” Twelve people, including Tuskegee University students, sustained injuries in the shooting and were hospitalized at East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika and Baptist South Hospital in Montgomery. Four others were injured in the incident but not by gunfire, per the ALEA.
Tuskegee University said in a statement on Sunday afternoon that classes would be canceled on Monday “to ensure the officers and their law enforcement partners are able to continue the investigation as easily as possible. The administration joins the students in mourning the event after such a joyous weekend and will provide grief counselors on Monday in the chapel for students who would like to come together to discuss what has happened. Students should not hesitate to reach out for help through the Student Health Center if they choose to do so privately.”
Emergency responders secured the scene with help from campus authorities and local law enforcement, with Alabama’s State Bureau of Investigation opening a probe into the shooting, which remains active.
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