Daijiworld Media Network - Tallahassee
Tallahassee, Oct 25: Twelve people, including six minors, were injured in a shooting near Florida A&M University's Bragg Memorial Stadium during homecoming celebrations on Saturday evening. Eleven of the 12 victims sustained gunshot wounds, police said.
Three victims suffered serious injuries, including one minor, while the remaining injured were reported to be in stable condition, according to the Tallahassee Police Department.
Police Chief Lawrence Revell said at a press conference early Sunday that six of the injured were under 18 years old, with the youngest victim aged 11.
Preliminary information indicated that an altercation between individuals led to the shooting. Revell described the incident as an isolated confrontation involving two or three individuals. Police believe one shooter was involved, but no arrests had been made and nobody had been taken into custody as of Sunday morning.
“Our priority is to determine what happened and why it happened, and to bring the people that are responsible for this to justice,” Revell said, urging witnesses to come forward with information.
The shooting occurred around 8 pm at an intersection near Bragg Memorial Stadium, where Florida A&M University's Rattlers had hosted the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions for the historically Black university's annual homecoming football game.
Following the incident, Florida A&M University issued a statement asking members of its campus community to avoid the area. The university said the shooting occurred near the campus and assured the community that the campus remained safe.
“Our hearts are with the victims and everyone affected by tonight’s incident on Perry Street,” the university said.
Florida State University, located about a mile from Florida A&M, also issued an emergency alert. It said there was no indication that members of its university community were involved and advised students, faculty and staff in the Tallahassee area to remain indoors as a precaution.
Revell expressed condolences to the victims and their families while praising police officers who rushed into the crowded area despite not knowing the number of shooters or victims.
He said some officers carried injured people in their arms to transport them to safety because the large crowd made movement difficult.
The investigation was ongoing, and police appealed to anyone who witnessed the shooting or had information about the incident to contact authorities.