During the 100th homecoming celebrations at Tuskegee University, a shooting incident left an 18-year-old dead and 16 others wounded in the early hours of Sunday, November 10. The tragic event has led to immediate alterations in security procedures at the historic Alabama university.
The deceased, identified as La’Tavion Johnson, was not enrolled at the university. He was reportedly killed while trying to shield a female student from the gunfire during a party at the West Commons apartment complex on campus.
At approximately 1:40 a.m., the incident unfolded as students gathered on the campus of the historically Black university situated in Tuskegee, Alabama, roughly 39 miles east of Montgomery. Of the 16 injured, 12 sustained gunshot injuries, while four others were injured amidst the ensuing chaos. Two students were among the shooting victims – a female student with stomach injuries and a male student with an arm wound.
According to witnesses, the sound of the gunfire suggested multiple weapons, as if a gun battle was taking place.
Jaquez Myrick, a 25-year-old from Montgomery, Alabama was arrested by law enforcement officials as he was departing the scene. He was found carrying a handgun equipped with a machine gun conversion device. Although Myrick now faces federal charges for possessing a machine gun, he has not been directly implicated in the shooting incident.
The shooting occurred as the university’s homecoming festivities were coming to an end. Earlier in the day, Alumni Stadium, which officially holds 10,000 spectators, was filled with more than 47,300 people for the homecoming football game against Miles College.
In the wake of the incident, the President of Tuskegee University, Dr. Mark A. Brown, announced immediate revisions to campus security. The campus will no longer be an open facility and all students and faculty are required to wear identification badges while on campus. The university has also appointed a new chief of campus security.
Describing the incident, Tuskegee Police Chief Patrick Mardis stated, “Some idiots started shooting. You couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people there.”
The university has called off classes for both Monday and Tuesday, and is providing counseling services, both in-person and virtual, for students and staff. A town hall meeting is planned to address the concerns of the community.
The investigation into the shooting is being spearheaded by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s Bureau of Investigation, in collaboration with federal, state, and local authorities, including the FBI and ATF.
This incident marks the second instance of a mass shooting at Tuskegee University in recent years. A similar incident in September 2023 resulted in four people being injured at a student housing complex.
