Costumed students were still crowding the streets of one college town after another when the gunfire started.

Shootings near major university campuses across the United States killed three people and wounded 35 others in at least seven shootings in six states over a weekend of Halloween parties, homecoming events and football rivalry games that began Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026.

The violence struck Delaware, Michigan, Colorado, Alabama, Illinois and Indiana.

In Newark, Del., a gunman opened fire on a packed downtown street near the University of Delaware about 11 p.m. Oct. 31, wounding at least six people and sending students in costume running for their lives.

A 16-year-old from Wilmington who was among those shot has been charged with possessing a gun. A 20-year-old University of Delaware student shot in the back suffered a collapsed lung and is still hospitalized. The university canceled classes Monday, Nov. 2.

Delaware Gov. Matt Meyer said in a statement after two Halloween night mass shootings in his state, including one near its largest university: “We must never accept gun violence as a part of life in Delaware.”

An Eighth Victim Found Later

Giana Dettloff, a 19-year-old woman from Carol Stream, was killed in a shooting near Illinois Wesleyan University in Bloomington-Normal, Ill., where eight other people were wounded and one was taken to a hospital in critical condition. Dettloff was a freshman and cheerleader at North Central College in Naperville, not an Illinois Wesleyan student, and was visiting a friend in Bloomington. McLean County Coroner Dr. Kathleen Yoder said she died of multiple gunshot wounds to the chest and pelvic region. Two Illinois Wesleyan students and an Illinois State University student were among the injured.

Bloomington, Ill., police Chief Jamal Simington said officers initially counted seven surviving victims and later found an eighth, for a total of nine victims. The survivors ranged from 16 to 22, he added, and included high school and college students plus one non-student. No one was in custody as of midday Monday, Nov. 2.

“This party was noticeably peaceful, jovial, and there were no disturbances witnessed or reported prior to the shooting,” Simington said of the gathering.

The Teen With a Glock Switch

Multiple shootings in Birmingham, Ala., killed one person and wounded eight, one of them critically, in the aftermath of the 85th Magic City Classic football game on the night of Saturday, Oct. 31. Alabama A&M played Alabama State in the game, a matchup of two historically Black universities.

Witnesses described chaotic scenes at a tailgate outside Legion Field shortly before 8 p.m. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin said Sunday afternoon, Nov. 1, that the person taken into custody was a 17-year-old who is not affiliated with either university and that the teen had a gun with a Glock conversion switch.

“This individual is off the street and will be held accountable,” Birmingham Police Chief Michael Pickett said.

Multiple Calibers on Kirkwood Avenue

At least seven people — four men and three women — were injured on Kirkwood Avenue near the Indiana University campus in Bloomington, Ind., at around 1:30 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. Officers in the popular bar strip heard “multiple gunshots” after an argument broke out in a large crowd of Halloween revelers, Deputy Chief of Police Ryan Pedigo said.

The victims ranged in age from 17 to 27. None of them were students, and none were from Bloomington. Police took an 18-year-old into custody but have not said whether he is the gunman.

Officers recovered shell casings of multiple calibers from the scene, along with an AR-15-style handgun. Police said they found an AK-47-style pistol on one of the victims.

After Officers Sent the Crowd Home

A gunman killed a 19-year-old student and wounded a second student at a house party that drew hundreds of students near the University of Colorado in Boulder, Colo., around 11:30 p.m., according to police. Officers had already shut the party down and told the crowd to go home.

Police believe two men tried to force their way inside about 90 minutes later. Officers arrested Omar Perez, 18, of Thornton, early Monday, Nov. 2, and police said they were still looking for other suspects.

Two separate shootings near Michigan State University in East Lansing, Mich., on Halloween night wounded five people.