A suspect has been arrested after an early Sunday morning shooting at Tuskegee University (TU) in east-central Alabama that left one person dead and 16 others injured, state officials said.
Jack Myrick, 25, of Montgomery, attempted to leave the scene of a shooting on the TU campus while carrying a handgun with a machine gun conversion device before being arrested by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency (ALEA). said. ALEA added that Myrick also faces federal charges of possessing a machine gun. ALEA special agents reportedly learned of the shooting around 1:40 a.m.
The 18-year-old victim was pronounced dead at the scene, and the 16 injured people were taken to area hospitals, the newspaper said. ALEA added that 12 of the 16 people suffered gunshot injuries, while the remaining four suffered from other causes.
ALEA did not release the names of the deceased, but the Macon County coroner said: identified CBS News Victims as La Tavion Johnson.
The shooting incident occurred on the last day of TU’s 100th anniversary. homecoming week. (Related: 1 person dead, 1 injured in altercation on college campus, escalates into double shooting, campus is locked down)
Officials noted that ALEA’s State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) is leading the investigation into the incident.
The deceased was not affiliated with TU. said in a statement on Sunday. However, some of the injured were TU students.
The university also notified the parents of the deceased and said it is working to clear the accounts of the student and notify the parents.
University charter day convocation – the last event on the homecoming schedule – happened at the University Chapel as scheduled.
Dr. Mark Brown, the university’s president, led attendees in a moment of silence “as we remember the souls lost and the grieving parents, families and friends.”
“My heart is very heavy this morning. But while my heart is heavy, I am also determined to know that God is still on the throne and is still in control,” said TU Board of Directors member Norma Clayton. The chief told the audience.
Clayton also expressed his condolences. “In difficult times, tough people band together and survive. And we’ve been around for 143 years. I think we can survive even more,” she added.
The “heartbreaking incident” and “unreasonable act of violence” occurred in the West Commons neighborhood, one of the university’s student apartments, TU Student Government Association President Amare Hardy told attendees. “But as we come together in the spirit of Mother Tuskegee, we remember the resilience that has always characterized our community,” he added.
University officials announced that TU counselors will be available in the chapel on Monday as all classes will be canceled.
