A person has been arrested in connection with a deadly shooting that occurred at Tuskegee University, Alabama early Sunday morning. The incident resulted in the death of an 18-year-old and at least 16 others injured.
Jaquez Myrick of Montgomery was charged with owning a machine gun. According to the authorities, he was discovered leaving the scene.
Authorities said that the deadly gunfire broke out around 1:40 am on the Macon County Campus as the centennial celebrations of the school were coming to an end.
According to the Macon County Coroner’s Office, La’Tavion was identified as the teen who died in the shooting late Sunday night.
The police said that twelve people were injured by gunfire. Four more were injured during the incident as they ran from cover.
Social media videos captured what appeared to be multiple gunshots and people taking cover under vehicles or diving on the ground.
The release issued by the Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, which announced the arrest on Sunday, did not mention whether the authorities were still looking for other suspects. However, it appealed to the public to keep sending information relevant to the FBI.
Radio transmissions by police officers who were sent to the campus for an investigation revealed that there was initially a suspicion that multiple shooters had been involved.
According to Broadcastify, an officer stated in a radio transmission that there would be at least two shooters.
Johnson was only identified as “a non-university person” in a university statement released early Sunday morning. In the statement, it was noted that Johnson’s parents were notified.
The statement added, “Several other injured individuals, including Tuskegee students, are being treated at East Alabama Medical Center Opelika and Baptist South Hospital Montgomery.”
The State Police confirmed hours later that the victim of the shooting was 18 years old. Johnson’s identity was announced shortly before midnight Sunday.
As of Sunday, special agents of ALEA’s Bureau of Investigation investigated the shooting at the request of the Macon County Sheriff’s Office.
“Special agents are still gathering and examining the information related to the sequences of events that ultimately led to this shooting,” ALEA stated.
The authorities asked that anyone who had information about the shooting contact the investigators as soon as possible. The FBI was also contacted by authorities to ask potential witnesses to send any digital footage of the shooting to them.
Officials at the university stated that they are “in the process” of “completing student accountability, and notifying the parents.”
The university said that it would provide further updates as soon as new information became available.
Tuskegee University canceled Monday’s classes and announced that grief counselors will be available to students in the school chapel.
