The centennial homecoming celebrations at Tuskegee University were marred by a shooting that resulted in one fatality and 16 wounded individuals on Sunday morning, November 10. This tragedy has led to immediate modifications to security measures at the renowned Alabama university.

La’Tavion Johnson, an 18-year-old non-student, tragically lost his life while reportedly defending a female student from the gunfire at a party hosted in the West Commons apartment complex on campus.

The violence erupted around 1:40 a.m. as students were congregating on the campus of the historic Black university in Tuskegee, Alabama, roughly 39 miles east of Montgomery. Among the 16 injured, 12 were hit by bullets, and four others were injured in the pandemonium. Two students were shot, with a female student sustaining stomach injuries and a male student hit in the arm.

Witnesses reported that the shooting appeared to involve multiple firearms, suggesting a possible gunfight.

Police arrested Jaquez Myrick, a 25-year-old from Montgomery, Alabama, who was spotted fleeing the scene with a handgun that had been altered with a machine gun conversion device. Myrick is facing federal charges for possessing a machine gun, but authorities have not yet charged him with discharging the weapon during the incident.

The shooting occurred as the university’s centennial homecoming festivities were wrapping up. Earlier that day, the university’s Alumni Stadium, which has a seating capacity of 10,000, welcomed over 47,300 attendees for the homecoming football game against Miles College.

In light of this incident, Tuskegee University President Dr. Mark A. Brown announced immediate security updates. The campus will now enforce access control, with students and staff required to display identification badges while on campus. The university has also appointed a new head of campus security.

Tuskegee Police Chief Patrick Mardis expressed his frustration, stating, “Some idiots started shooting. You couldn’t get the emergency vehicles in there, there were so many people there.”

Following the incident, the university suspended classes for Monday and Tuesday, making counseling services available both in person and online for students and staff. A town hall has been arranged 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, collaborating with federal, state, and local authorities, including the FBI and ATF.

This incident marks the second mass shooting at Tuskegee University in recent years. In September 2023, a shooting at a student housing complex resulted in four injuries.