For three consecutive years, Tuskegee University’s campus has been victim to gun violence surrounding its homecoming celebrations.
Tuskegee University students and alumni gathered on Nov. 9, to celebrate their 100th annual homecoming with a football game against Miles College and a Divine Nine Step show on the festive itinerary. By about 1:30 a.m. on Nov. 10, a massive series of shots erupted on campus at the West Commons student apartments, forcing students and visitors to shelter in place, crouch beside parked vehicles, and flee.
In videos uploaded to social media from victims, repetitively rapid shots are heard being fired. The shots were heard from those in the city of Tuskegee from at least a one-mile radius. There has been one reported casualty and at least 16 injured – 12 by gunshot wounds.
The fatality was 18-year-old La’Tavion Johnson from Troy, Alabama. A recent graduate from Johnson was due to begin working at a new job with the Alabama Department of Transportation in Troy next week.
Jaquez Myrick, 25, of Montgomery has been arrested for possession of a handgun with a machine gun conversion device- or “switch.” He has been federally charged, though he has not been linked or charged to the death of La’Tavion Johnson.
Students, outraged, exclaim that there were at least four gunmen— all of whom do not attend the university. The gunmen took to social media platforms before the shooting, posing with guns inside academic buildings and dormitories. What was a contented week of celebration for Black excellence and achievement turned into a despicable display of disrespect and ignorance.
On Nov. 12, students rallied to express their concerns at an Administrative-sanctioned Town Hall Meeting. The students’ demands were clear. They commanded consideration for:
- Immediate hiring of qualified security personnel
- Installation of cameras and lights
- Placement of I.D. scanners at gates and dormitory entrances
- One week off from classes while victims cope with their experiences and realities
- Accommodation for virtual studies, as many students have been pulled off of campus for safety concerns
The looming threat of violence felt on campus before this mass shooting speaks to the rising threat of gun violence sweeping the nation. Many students felt that the large homecoming crowds would have the propensity to reel in violence. This feeling would prove true.
Since the mass shooting on Nov. 10, Tuskegee University President Mark Brown has fired their security chief and promised the students and parents that improved security measures will be implemented. Students are weary of this claim, being that it has been made to them before following a shooting at the West Common student apartments in 2023, leaving multiple injured (WSFA). The administration promised thorough security and I.D. checks at all active gates. This lasted fewer than three weeks before efforts became lax.
Ranked as the third HBCU in the nation, the community of T.U. alumni, parents, students, and supporters awaits details regarding justice and improved measures. They hope that Macon County’s police department, the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, and the FBI will bring equity to this disturbing situation.
